Alison joined Great Places as a graduate in 1997 working in customer involvement, moving into regeneration and several housing management roles. She has over twenty years’ experience working in the housing sector in a variety of operational housing management and leadership roles.
Alison is passionate about driving people-focused change and has led large scale change programmes that ensure the needs of customers are at the heart of service delivery and positive organisational culture are built.
More recently, Alison has driven cultural change through continuous improvement of services and became Deputy Chief Executive in 2022 and took over as Chief Executive in July 2024.
Alison is also the Vice Chair at Warrington Housing Association.
Alison manages the Executive Team and is accountable to the Board.
As an Executive Director, Alison adheres to the Great Places Code of Governance and Probity Policies, and as such withdraws from the Board’s discussions and decisions on relevant matters where there is a material conflict of interest.
Guy is responsible for the customer-facing side of our business, ensuring the organisation provides a great customer experience. Alongside managing our neighbourhoods, he is also responsible for our work in Independence and Wellbeing, which supports our more vulnerable customers to develop life skills and achieve their goals, and is an active member in a number of sector-related partnerships and forums. Guy has extensive experience in all aspects of housing but his passion lies in health and housing, investment in communities and regeneration, and the importance of getting right the basics of property management.
Mike has responsibility for ensuring Great Places’ finance, assurance, procurement, governance and colleague health and safety functions provide high-quality support to the rest of the Group. He also ensures that the Group’s regulatory and statutory requirements are satisfied.
One of Mike’s key challenges is balancing the need for the long-term financial viability and stability of Great Places with risks posed by the Group’s strategic growth and development objectives.
He started his career in auditing and professional services and has worked in the housing sector for 20 years.
Leading our Growth directorate, Helen is responsible for the delivery of Great Places’ £1bn affordable housing development programme and the management of key stakeholder relationships like the recently announced Homes England Strategic Partnership. Helen is also responsible for leading Great Places’ Plumlife sales team, oversees the £750m Innovation Chain North construction framework and the growth of Great Places’ recently launched in-house building contractor, Terra Nova Developments Limited.
Helen joined Great Places in 2004 as an Assistant Development Officer and became Director of Development in 2016, delivering more than 4,000 new homes in that role. She has led on a number of high profile projects and bids, most recently running the successful Victoria North bid in Manchester. In addition, Helen has provided inspirational leadership for Great Places’ successful sales teams.
Steve has overall responsibility for our Repairs and Assets functions, overseeing these areas which also include facilities management, property investment, divestment, building safety compliance and carbon management.
He joined Great Places in 2024 from First Choice Homes Oldham, where he was Executive Director of Homes.
Steve has worked in the housing and regeneration sectors for over 30 years and has experience across all aspects of asset management and property-based services. Prior to joining First Choice Homes Oldham, he was Property Services Director at Places for People. He brings a wealth of experience and extensive knowledge of our sector, as well as a sharp customer focus that really benefits our business and the people that live in our homes and communities.
Sharon oversees the People and Transformation Directorate, which includes the Business Transformation, Communications, People and Tech Services Teams.
Sharon joined Great Places in 2002 working as a Tenant Participation Officer in Bolton, before taking on a variety of roles and becoming Director of Assurance in 2021. She has a vast knowledge and understanding of our business and sector, and in her role Sharon leads the strategic and cultural transformation of Great Places, helping us to achieve innovation, efficiency and excellence in service delivery for both colleagues and customers.
26/09/2025
From 27 October 2025, Awaab’s Law will require social housing landlords including Great Places to fix emergency hazards and serious damp and mould problems quickly. This law was introduced after the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020, caused by mould in his home. We have taken the opportunity to review how we handle […]
25/09/2025
It’s an exciting time for our East Region, which expanded this year with the completion of our first development in Doncaster, Wheatley Hall.
25/09/2025
We know that rising costs are making things harder for many people. Whether it’s energy bills, food, clothing or household essentials, it can be tricky to find the right support. That’s why we’re introducing Lightning Reach from 6 October, a new, free and secure online tool that helps you find practical financial support that’s right for […]
