Our executive team
Barry Hughes, group chief executive
Our chief executive is responsible for making sure we deliver against our targets and plans set out by our board of directors. Barry manages the executive team and has been chief executive at Selwood Housing since 2007.
Prior to this Barry was finance director for Metro Newspaper and the Evening Standard.
Barry is Selwood Housing’s health and safety lead for the purposes of section 126C(2) of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008.
Mark Mayler, chief finance officer
Mark and his team ensure that we get the best value for money across all our services for our customers and that we have strong finances to maintain and invest in our customers’ homes, as well as to build new affordable homes.
He oversees all aspects of our financial management, controls and governance. He is also responsible for procurement, performance, business insight and IT teams.
Mark has worked in senior finance roles for over 20 years, across a variety of sectors.
Verena Buchanan, group operations director
Verena is responsible for all our front-line services to customers. Her teams ensure a consistent and ever improving service to customers, so our neighbourhoods are great places to live, our homes are safe and well maintained and we deliver efficient and effective services to all our customers. Our operational teams are local so know our customers well and are passionate about helping them.
She is also the senior person accountable for Selwood Housing complaints for the purposes of the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaints Handling Code. Verena also has responsibility for Selwood Housing’s compliance with the operational consumer standards. This includes the safety and quality standard, the neighbourhood and accountability standard, the tenancy standard and part of the transparency, influence and accountability standard.
Verena is also a board member for the charity Trowbridge Futures.
Paul Walsh, group development director
Paul and his team drive forward the development of new homes, increasing both our social housing stock as well as homes that are available to buy under shared ownership. Our ambition is to build 1,700 affordable homes by 2034. He is also responsible for the marketing and communications team and the involvement team.
He also has responsibility for Selwood Housing’s compliance with the customer involvement part of the transparency, influence, and accountability consumer standard.
Ria Bristow, group transformation and people director
Ria leads on transformation across Selwood Housing, responsible for projects that deliver both short-term improvements and long-term value for customers.
This includes digital transformation as customers increasingly access housing services online.
Ria is also responsible for HR, training and development as well as health and safety, facilities, business continuity and safeguarding.
