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Our Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is responsible for oversight of the operations of St Basils. As a charity and registered provider of social housing, St Basils is regulated by the Charity Commission and Regulator of Social Housing. As a Company, St Basils complies with requirements set by Companies House. St Basils is governed according to its Articles of Association and internal policies and procedures approved by the Board of Directors.

Directors are appointed to the Board based upon their qualifications, skills and experience.

Co-opted Directors are usually young people who have lived experience of the support offered by St Basils.

Register of Directors’ Interests

St Basils maintains a Register of Directors’ declared interests. This is available for review upon request. To make a request, please email: Governance@stbasils.org.uk.

Committees

The Board has two committees to support its function:

  • The Business Support and Audit Committee
  • The Service Delivery and Development Committee

The Board also has a Nominations Committee to support the recruitment, succession and Development of Directors. This meets on an ad-hoc basis in the event of a vacancy.

The Board may also establish ad hoc committees for detailed reviews or consideration of particular topics to be proposed for the approval of the Board.

 

Business Support and Audit Committee 

St Basils’ Business Support & Audit Committee oversees finance, internal and external audit arrangements and closely monitors risk. The committee will advise the main Board on St Basils’ finance position after getting into the detail of the numbers during their meetings. Therefore, there will be at least one qualified accountant on the committee to provide financial scrutiny, and we also need expertise in other business support areas, such as Human Resources and ICT to ensure St Basils has appropriate capacity and resources to deliver its services.

The Terms of Reference for the Business Support and Audit Committee can be found here. The Terms of Reference are usually reviewed every year by both the committee and the main Board.

The members of the committee are listed below:

  • Helen Bates (Chair)
  • Nil Neale
  • Chidinma Therese Odaghara (Co-opted Committee Member)

 

Service Delivery and Development Committee 

St Basils’ Service Delivery and Development Committee oversee St Basils functions as a social landlord. This covers matters such as housing management, for example rents and tenant engagement, as well as building management, for example safety, compliance and maintenance. Plans for property development will be reviewed in detail by this committee before going to the main Board for approval. The committee monitors all elements of the service and support delivered to our young people, including their outcomes and they will also review safeguarding incidents.

The Terms of Reference for the Service Delivery and Development Committee can be found here. The Terms of Reference are usually reviewed every year by both the committee and the main Board.

The members of the committee are listed below:

  • Nimmi Patel (Chair)
  • Jon Wood
  • The Very Rev Matt Thompson
  • Marsha Blake
  • Kelly Cassells

 

Nominations Committee

St Basils’ has a Nominations Committee, who are responsible for the recruitment and selection of Directors / Trustees to St Basils’ Board. The committee meets on an ad-hoc basis when a vacancy arises. The committee consists of the Chair of the Board and the two Chairs of the other committees.

The Terms of Reference for the Nominations Committee can be found here.

Current Board of Directors 

Feizal Hajat OBE

Ordinary Director, Chair of the Board, Member Responsible for Complaints

Biography

Jon Wood

Ordinary Director



Coming Soon

Matt Thompson

Nominated Director



Biography

Nimmi Patel

Ordinary Director, Chair of the Service Delivery and Development Committee

Coming Soon

Marsha Blake

Chief Executive





Biography

Nil Neale

Ordinary Director





Biography

Helen Bates

Ordinary Director, Chair of the Business Support and Audit Committee, Vice Chair of the Board, Senior Independent Director

Biography

Kelly Cassells

Ordinary Director, Designated Safeguarding Board Member


Biography

Ethan Meddoms

Co-Opted Director


Biography

Stephen Chance

Co-Opted Director


Biography

Governance & Decision Making

St Basils is a Company Limited by Guarantee and is governed by its Articles of Association. The Articles are a document outlining the purpose of the organisation and the overarching ‘rules’ for how it is run. A copy of St Basils’ Articles can be found here.

St Basils also has its own Standing Orders, which provide more detail around its governance framework and decision-making processes. For example, the Standing Orders cover the role of Directors (Board Members / Trustees), the structure of the Board / Committees and how meetings are arranged and executed. The Standing Orders are reviewed annually, and the most recent version can be found here. 

As a Registered Provider of Social Housing, St Basils must adopt a Code of Governance for its Board. St Basils has adopted the National Housing Federation Code of Governance 2020, and uses the comply and explain approach to adherence to the Code. A copy of the Code can be found here.

Annual General Meeting

St Basils holds an Annual General Meeting (AGM) during the Autumn each year.

The date of the next Annual General Meeting is to be confirmed. 

To request further details please contact our Company Secretary Zoe Rossi via: governance@stbasils.org.uk

Our Company Membership Policy is available here.

Senior Leadership Team

Below you will find our Senior Leadership Team, dedicated to driving our mission to prevent youth homelessness.

Our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) is made up of dedicated leaders responsible for guiding the charity’s daily operations and long-term strategy. Comprised of senior managers from key areas such as service delivery, finance, and human resources, the SLT works together to allocate resources, solve challenges, and ensure the charity provides life-changing support to young people at risk of homelessness.

Senior Leadership Team  

Marsha Blake

(she/ her)
Chief Executive


Biography

Zoë Rossi-O'Callaghan

(she/ her)
Director of Finance & Company Secretary

Biography

Jas Sidhu

Director of Housing


Biography

Barrie Hodge

(he/ him)
Director of Income Generation & Value Capture

Biography

Mandy Blizard

(she/ her)
Head of ICT


Biography

Veronica Leigh-Hanson

(she/ her)
Head of Human Resources

Biography

Louise Bourne

(she/ her) Director of Progression


Biography

Hilary Ishiwu

Head of Finance



Biography

Chantel Edwards

Head of Quality Standards and RSM

Biography

Youth Advisory Board

Fifteen young people from each of St Basils’ geographical areas meet every month as part the Youth Advisory Board (YAB).

The main role of the YAB is to ensure that young people are involved in decisions about how our services operate and are being given opportunities to feedback to the Senior Leadership Team and the main Board of Directors. Being a member of YAB is also a great way to build confidence for our young people and develop skills such as public speaking, building relationships and constructive challenge. Young people across St Basils worked together to design 12 ‘Youth Standards’ which the YAB regularly discuss and evaluate how they are incorporated into St Basils’ operations.

The YAB was originally developed in 2005 and we have had young people involved in decision making processes at St Basils since that point, whether this is through the YAB or through having young people sitting on our main Board as Co-Opted Directors. This practice continues today alongside the YAB, with our main Board having two spaces designated for young people.

The YAB and our main Board are continually seeking to improve how both Boards work together to ensure young people are considered at every level of decision making.

Read More About Youth Voice

Other Important Resources

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at St Basils

St Basils EDI

How to make a Comment, Compliment or Complaint

Complaints & Compliments

View our Annual Reports, Policies and Statements

Reports, Policies and Statements

Quick Link to our Latest Report, Including Financial Statements