Charlie Norman, the Chief Executive of Manchester-based housing association Mosscare St Vincent’s, has today (17 March) become the new Chair of the Greater Manchester Housing Providers partnership (GMHP).
Charlie succeeds Jon Lord OBE, Chief Executive of Bolton at Home, who has held the position since GMHP was formed over 10 years ago.
Charlie said: ‘I’m delighted and honoured to be taking over as Chair of GMHP, and on behalf of all our 24 members I want to thank Jon for his leadership and huge contribution over the last decade. Under Jon’s stewardship, housing providers in Greater Manchester have gone from a disparate group working in relative isolation to a strong and unified partnership demonstrating exemplary collaboration and partnership working to deliver much more for our communities.
“In that time we’ve also become a trusted strategic partner for GMCA, GMHSCP, GM Mayor Andy Burnham and others, and we’re now at the heart of long-term housing, health and placemaking strategy in the region. It’s something all our members can be proud of – and Jon must take a lot of credit for that.
“It’s a critical moment for the sector, and I’m really pleased to be taking on the Chair of GMHP at such an important time for our members. The housing crisis is ever-present, and myriad challenges; from building safety, the decarbonisation agenda, and levelling up, to the cost-of-living crisis and the unacceptable inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic, are putting pressures on our organisations and communities like never before.
“In that context, it’s never been more important to work collaboratively as housing providers, sharing our knowledge, expertise and best practice to find effective solutions to these challenges.
“I believe that only by working together in this way will we deliver the lasting change we need. It’s something we’ve been doing for a long time in Greater Manchester through GMHP, and I intend to use my time as Chair to build on that ethos to ensure we reach new levels of collaboration in order to make a lasting and positive difference to lives and communities across the city region.”
GMHP is a unique partnership of housing providers working together to make a positive difference to people and communities across Greater Manchester. Bringing together our collective experience and expertise, we work in partnership to create lasting solutions to the housing crisis and other complex challenges facing the city region, delivering additionality and value through our collaboration.
Together our 24 members have over 260,000 homes in management, employ over 30,000 people, contribute over £1bn to the local economy annually, and develop around a third of new homes built in the city region each year.
About Charlie
Charlie has worked in the housing sector for over 30 years, both across the North West and in Vancouver, Canada, with a background in community and co-operative development, neighbourhood management and regeneration.
Charlie is honoured to be CEO of MSV, having worked for the business for almost 20 years and committed to providing the best service possible for residents. As well as chairing GMHP, Charlie is also Vice Chair of the Northern Housing Consortium and a trustee of Mustard Tree Charity.
Working with a wide range of colleagues, customers, community and voluntary sector friends and partners, Charlie is a passionate campaigner for social justice and tackling inequality, hoping for inclusion, good health and opportunity for this and future generations.
Charlie is also a firm believer in building a great work environment where people can flourish with a focus on flexibility, agility and creativity. Charlie has an MBA, is a committed vegan and loves a good hike in the hills.
