Chief Executive of Cadwyn Housing Association

WINNER : Voluntary and Not for Profit

Cadwyn Housing Association is a charitable organisation that works in partnership to build and manage permanent and temporary homes for people in need. It also provides services including tenancy support and community development.

Chris inspires others with her vision of what Cadwyn can achieve and how to get there. She is guided by deeply held values of fairness and respect for others, and her principles permeate the culture of the organisation.

She is passionate about what she believes in and leads by example, inspiring staff to higher levels of commitment and motivation. She communicates her vision to make it real for those around her, then extends this vision to reach not only staff and customers but colleagues in other housing associations and local authorities.

She always keeps the bigger picture in mind, communicating her vision so that people can share her vision and understand how the whole fits together. In this way Chris ensures that everyone sees the contribution they can make and where they fit in. She inspires innovation in people, encouraging people to think their minds and contribute to debate.

She gently challenges the assumptions of those around her, helping people think through solutions and develop their abilities to be able to do it independently in the future. She presents a challenge that people are eager to meet and inspires them to go the extra mile and exceed expectations.

She is honest, open and straight orward and always keeps her word.