Our People
Samantha Stewart
Executive Director Of Finance and ICTSam recently joined Saha from Lookahead and brings with her over 20 years experience in finance. Sam will assume the role of Executive Director of Finance and ICT and will also assume the responsibility of company secretary.
Chris Pegge
Chris is currently a director of a consultancy which specialises in social housing asset management. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience gained from working with residents to improve building safety and to increase energy efficiency and is keen to use this knowledge to champion high quality outcomes for all Saha residents.
Chris started his career in construction 35 years ago and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building and a Chartered Environmentalist. For the last 20 years he has worked in the social housing sector in a range of operational and strategic leadership roles. Having gained a thorough understanding of the benefits of supporting people into work and to increase the impact he can have in this area, Chris has recently become a STEM Ambassador to promote careers in the built environment.
Chris joined the Saha Operations Committee on 1 January 2023.
Bernadette Fry
Bernadette has 30 years’ experience of working in social housing. She has worked for several local authorities, registered providers as well as the Housing Corporation and the Audit Commission.
She is currently the Assistant Director of Resident Services at the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, where she leads a multi-disciplinary team providing the full range of tenancy management services including, estates & environmental services, income collection, lettings, homeownership, resident engagement and supported housing.
She is committed to providing the best possible housing services by working with and for residents. She is particularly interested in the linkages between housing, health, and financial inclusion.
Bernadette joined the Saha Operations Committee on 1 January 2023.
Stephen Stringer
Chair of the Board
Stephen joined Saha as the new Board Chair on 9 September 2022.
He has been the Chair of Fairhive Homes Ltd (formerly the Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust) since 2016. Prior to that he was the Chair of Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association, a position he held for six years, and previously a Board member of the Metropolitan Support Trust. He brings a wealth of relevant experience as a non-executive Board member, a Chair and having had a varied career as a senior Civil Servant at the former Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
During his career as a Government advisor he worked in the housing and regeneration sectors as well as being responsible for the governance and oversight of a range of Government organisations. This has seen him deliver high profile projects, including the programme to expand the large scale private rented sector involving the Build to Rent fund, the Olympics Legacy, and delivering growth in the Thames Gateway Programme.
Paul Phillips
Board Member
Paul has been the senior finance professional at a number of Registered Providers over a 40 year career. Until his retirement in July 2021, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Notting Hill Genesis and before that of Notting Hill Housing Trust.
Paul joined the saha Board in December 2020
Resident Committee Member – Lisa Roberts
Lisa is a Saha resident , and has been with Saha since 2017. Lisa works as a senior ward sister in a cardio thoracic unit and is very passionate about patient-centred care and looking after people . She has a special interest in helping others in the community and listening to residents’ needs and concerns . Lisa joined our newly formed Operations Committee as a Saha resident member in August 2022
Robert East
Chair of the Operations Committee
Robert is currently the Director of Care & Support at Notting Hill Genesis. He has worked for over twenty years in the housing and voluntary sector in both an operational and strategic capacity at several housing associations and specialist support providers across London and the South East. Robert has substantial knowledge and experience in working with a range of vulnerable and marginalised groups of customers. More recently, he has successfully led on modernisation programmes within the supported housing sector.
Robert is committed to ensuring people, particularly from challenging backgrounds, can access and sustain good quality housing with appropriate levels of support to enable them to flourish and thrive in society.
Robert joined the Saha Board on 1 October 2022.
Raj Bhamber
Raj is the Associate Director of People for the New Hospital Programme at NHS England. She has had an extensive career within the NHS fulfilling a number of senior strategic roles and has also been a Director in the People and Organisation practice at PwC.
Raj holds a BA (English and Sociology) from the University of British Columbia, Canada; an MSc Leadership in Human Resources from UMIST and is a chartered fellow of the CIPD.
Raj is a non-Executive Director at Slough Children’s First where she also chairs two sub-committees.
Raj joined the Saha Board on 1 August 2022.
Stephen Bright
Board Member
Stephen trained as a Chartered Accountant and worked in the profession for the first seven years of his career. He is also a member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers and Chartered Institute of Taxation. He has previous experience on the board of charities and on the Audit Committee for The Salvation Army; he is also on the board of a social housing provider in London and was previously on the Audit Committee for two NHS acute trusts.
He retired to Buckinghamshire after 35 years at board level in Retail Banks and Insurance companies as Chief Financial Officer, Risk Director, IT Director and Chief Executive Officer in the UK and Europe. Stephen joined the saha Board in February 2022.
Elliot Thomas
Board Member
Elliot is the General Counsel and Company Secretary to saha’s parent, The Salvation Army. Legally qualified, and with board experience from a range of sectors, he is an expert in corporate governance, strategic planning, operational oversight and transformational change.
Elliot joined saha’s board in July 2021 following saha’s regulatory downgrade and he is committed to helping saha become as impactful as it can be, within the group of The Salvation Army.
He is committed to the provision of quality housing, within a caring community.
Elliot divides his time between central London and the wilds of Exmoor.
Sean Hughes
Executive Director of Operations
Sean has worked in housing for close to twenty five years and in that time he has held a number of senior strategic and operational roles in housing associations and local authorities.
Sean joined saha in 2019 and in his role as Executive Director of Operations, Sean leads the full range of operational services with responsibility for health and safety compliance, planned maintenance, repairs, property management including disposals and leases, housing management of our general needs, supported and agency managed housing provision, allocations, income recovery, customer services and resident involvement."
Lieut-Colonel Drew McCombe
Drew has been a Salvation Army officer in his local church and has always tried to plant new ministries and congregations with a keen edge towards social justice; had leadership roles for The Salvation Army at divisional and national level. Currently Secretary for Mission with responsibilities for the oversight of mission across the UK based at The Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters. Drew was appointed to the Saha board in 2020 and is also a director of the Salvation Army Trustee company in the UK.
Married to soul mate Beverley, 3 fantastic grown up children, Daryn, Cathryn and Eloise. Now a grandad to Harry, James, Ollie and Maya. Passionately in love with God the Father, Son and Spirit, mission agitator and covenanted to The Salvation Army. MA in Evangelism and Mission.
Lynne Shea
Chief ExecutiveLynne joined saha’s Executive Management Team in January 2022 as Executive Director of Corporate Services. Lynne is a qualified accountant with over 30 years’ experience. She is an established leader in the Housing Sector and has held executive positions in the private and housing association sectors for over 26 years
Jo Robinson
Jo has worked in social housing for 30 years and is Executive Director Governance & Compliance for large housing association, Optivo.
Maureen Hopcroft
Board MemberMaureen brings 30 years technology expertise gained across the private, public and third sectors. She is now an independent technology consultant and has delivered outcomes for several housing associations, ranging from some of the largest organisations to more specialist providers. Maureen is currently chair of a specialist London housing association and is on the NHF’s Board member national group. She was appointed to the saha Group Board in May 2019.
Andrew Lawrence
Board Member
Andrew Lawrence is a Chartered Accountant and combines work as Chairman of the Board of Bron Afon Community Housing with a wide portfolio of non-executive director roles within the charity and public sectors and in insurance and social housing. Andrew has a special interest in corporate governance, strategic leadership, risk management, cultural change and innovation.
Andrew is part of a large church in South Wales and serves as a Street Pastor on the streets of Cardiff. He joined the saha Board in April 2019.
Ian Watson
Ian Watson is a chartered accountant with considerable non-executive Board and Committee experience in both the charitable and private sectors.
