Gilbert has worked in social housing for over 33 years. He has held senior management roles as a Director or Head of Service at Redbridge Homes ALMO, Croydon Churches Housing Association, Hackney Council and Hyde Housing Association. He has worked in most areas of housing including working with homeless households in Haringey. Gilbert also worked for seven years at the Audit Commission as a Housing Inspector and a Senior Project Manager in the Local Government Division. Gilbert has been a Board Member of Branches since October 2013.

Winston Reid is a retired Housing Manager who worked for various Housing Associations, Local Authorities and Arms’ Length Management Organisations for over 30 years. He is a local resident and a Deacon at his local Baptist Church in Walthamstow. He has been a Trustee at Branches since 2007 and has done extensive voluntary work as a Board Member for a national Housing Association; Employment Coach for the Careers Development Group; Mentor with the Small Charities Coalition, and is currently working with the Citizen Advice’s  Witness Service. He enjoys playing squash, badminton and walking.

Ben has extensive legal and commercial experience in a wide range of areas, including contractual disputes, insurance, professional negligence and dispute resolution of all kinds, both domestically and internationally. Ben has worked with the smallest businesses through to the largest, multi-national business entities and is very experienced in working with lay, business and legal people from all walks of life. Ben writes an insurance law textbook, and enjoys fly fishing when he has spare time.

Alan has been a HR professional since 2004 and fellow of the CiPD.  He has varied HR experience through a range of roles within the Civil Service and Charity sector. For three years he was a Charity Works Graduate Scheme Mentor. He is currently Director of People and Culture at Magic Breakfast, a charity focused on ending child morning hunger as a barrier to learning, now and for good. A local resident, Alan has been a board member since June 2017 building on his previous experience as a Trustee in Haringey. He is proud of the impact Branches makes in the local area and committed to contributing to the next exciting phase of it’s development as we realise and take forward our strategic ambitions for a move on property.

Tom has worked in the Homelessness sector since 2010. He has worked across various London boroughs, and has managed substance misuse, mental health, adult and young peoples services. He has held service manager, Area Manager and Head of Operations roles, and is passionate about ending homelessness.

Ian is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin (BBS), a Qualified Chartered Accountant (FCA) and Fellow of the Institute of Directors (FIoD).

Having trained with Price Waterhouse in Dublin, he then moved to the UK in the mid 1980’s where after a brief spell with Coopers and Lybrand he joined the International Audit Department of Chevron Petroleum. He then moved to Heron International in the late 80’s where he became an Internal Audit Manager before joining Heron Service Stations. When the sites were sold in 1993, he joined the newly formed company GMR Capital Limited (a privately-owned company, with its main activities being the development, operation and investment in roadside retail and convenience stores, property development and investments) where he remained as Group Finance Director until December 2023.

In addition, Ian also was also a non-executive Director of the Association of Convenience Stores from 2016 -2022.

Dr. Sheila Belgrave has over 40 years of experience working across the civil service, local government, private, and voluntary sectors. While she specializes in housing management, her expertise also spans change management, business planning, policy development, project management, auditing, performance management, and service improvement.

Sheila has held several senior management positions, including CEO of an Arm’s Length Management Organisation (ALMO), Deputy CEO and Director of Housing, and Audit Commission Inspector.

For 30 years, she has also served as a non-executive director on several boards, holding roles as Chair and Vice Chair. In addition, she has extensive experience in commissioning, where she has been responsible for reviewing and implementing government policies and procedures.

Currently, Sheila is the Founder of SAB Consultancy, where she conducts equality, diversity, and inclusion training for clients including the Bank of England, local authorities, and voluntary organizations. She also serves as an independent advisor to several public and voluntary organizations on matters such as strategic management, governance, and corporate responsibility.

Alongside her professional work, Sheila is an ordained minister and Trustee at a local church in Waltham Forest.