Governance

Andrew has worked across the Public and Third Sector in Wales for the last 20 years in a variety of roles. He has been with Pobl since its creation in 2016 and as Executive Director of Operations leads the Homes and Communities and Care and Support Teams.

Andrew is responsible for Pobl Operations delivering landlord services to over 17,000 people and communities including our in-house Pobl Trades team. Pobl Operations also offers a wide range of care and support services ranging from tenancy support through to residential care.

I am a solicitor with 29 years of experience (qualified in 1988) in the areas of commercial litigation and private client (wills, tax and probate) and, as a full equity partner, managed a thriving capital city centre law firm.

Much of my role involved devising strategy and implementing systems to achieve excellence in practice management (achieving the LEXCEL accreditation) and delivering high quality client services. I held several management roles, including Managing Partner for 22 years, Finance Manager (CFO), complaints handling partner, Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration (COFA) and HR partner in charge of staff and trainees.

I had a full client workload, building up the probate department and conducting complex commercial litigation cases with a dedicated team. I retired from the practice when the firm was acquired in a management buyout in 2017 and I no longer practice as a solicitor.

I studied Law and Spanish at Cardiff University in the 1980’s and graduated with joint honours. I graduated from the College of Law in Guildford. I am half Spanish and speak fluent Spanish

I have lived in a lively village community in the Vale of Glamorgan for the last 25 years

Whilst our children were growing up my husband and I were very involved in our local community, where we ran the Village Hall committee for 5 years developing its infrastructure and enhancing its real community ties.

When in practice, I led a team of will writers in a fundraising event each November for WillAid, raising tens of thousands of pounds for a number of charities over the course of around 12 years.

Since my retirement from practice in 2017 I have enjoyed roles as a trustee and board member of two charities, Care & Repair and Barod, a charity which deals with addiction. I am also a trustee of several trusts and a professional executor in respect of deceased client’s estates.

Gwynne had worked in social housing for 33 years until July 2020. He is proud to be currently Chair of Conwy and Denbighshire Care & Repair and has had links to the Care & Repair movement in Wales since 1996.

Having worked for local authorities and housing association in Wales and England, his last role was with Cartrefi Conwy as Managing Director, where he had strategic responsibility for tenant and property services.

Having the opportunity to be an Agency Representative on the Board of Care & Repair Cymru is an excellent opportunity to ensure the strategic approach of a national organisation and the frontline delivery of services within agencies is understood and developed together. He strongly believes that a person-centred approach to enable older persons and people with a disability to remain in their own homes is important to their wellbeing.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing and is also a trustee of a Ruthin Almshouse Charity.

Neil has 40 years experience within both the private and public sectors. As a chartered quantity surveyor he started his career within the construction industry providing financial and contractual advice on projects across a range of sectors. Following a move to NHS Wales he has 30 years of experience as a senior manager of which 12 years have been at Board level. Throughout his NHS career he was responsible for service planning and the delivery of projects and programmes and has extensive experience of complex investment in support of service transformation.

Neil is an accredited Review Team Leader and has supported reviews of both policy and programme/project implementation for Welsh Government, UK Government Agencies, local government and NHS Wales.

“I very recently joined Care & Repair as a Trustee as their mission, vision and values resonated strongly with me, and I really wanted to help champion the housing needs of older people and to help to influence better housing, health, and services for those living in housing conditions which can so often fail to meet their needs.

The work of Care & Repair really makes a difference, and I’m really excited by their varied innovative approaches to supporting older people, their pioneering projects, and new areas of work to deliver improved, coordinated services.”

I was born and brought up in the Cardiff area.  Throughout my teenage years, I was the sole carer for my elderly grandparents.  The work that Care & Repair does, not only provides support for individuals, but provides reassurance for their families and carers.  I am passionate about the work Care & Repair do and am overjoyed to be able to draw upon lived experience in my role as Trustee.

I attended Swansea University studying Welsh with Business Studies and following this completed a PGCE in Primary Education.  I was a Primary school teacher for a number of years across South Wales and then worked for Real Radio and Heart FM on all Wales radio campaigns. Since 2018 I have been working as a civil servant as a caseworker for a non-ministerial department.  I have recent board experience and I am looking forward to becoming part of the Care & Repair team.

I am a board member of Newport Care & Repair and an independent Trustee of Care & Repair Cymru.

I previously worked for Monmouthshire and Newport Councils housing departments, delivering new housing with partner Registered Social Landlords, and especially in the provision of affordable housing for over 55’s.

I believe it is essential for people to feel confident and safe in their own homes for their health and wellbeing, and proud of the work that Care & Repair undertakes to achieve this.

Rhodri Owen joined Care & Repair Cymru as a Trustee in October 2021.

Rhodri is a Partner at Redkite Solicitors and specialises in Wills & Probate work. He deals with the administration of trusts and estate and holds Higher Rights of Audience to appear before the Senior Courts. He is a Full Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Rhodri has experience in the private sector in business management and development. He has a keen interest in housing policy, and in particular the development of strategies to aid people to stay living in their own homes so long as they are able.

I am a communications specialist who has worked in public relations for many years, founding and jointly managing a Cardiff-based public relations consultancy for circa 15 years, until 2015.

I now balance caring for my 96-year-old father who lives with us in the family home, with working full-time in the energy sector, focusing on engagement & insight and supporting consumers in vulnerable situations.

I am delighted to be a Trustee of Care & Repair Cymru and support the services that help older people in Wales to remain healthy, safe and happy in their own homes.

Vikki Hiscocks is Head of Research and Development at the Pobl Group, a large Housing Care and Support Provider based in South Wales. Vikki has 20 years experience working in the housing and related policy sectors in a variety of senior strategic and operational roles. Vikki’s early career was focused on older people’s housing and wellbeing, with a strong interest in the links between housing, health and social care. She currently leads Pobl’s innovation work, overseeing projects and programmes that trial and test new approaches across the organisation, with a view to delivering improved services for colleagues and customers. Part of this role involves building collaborative partnerships to support Pobl’s R&D strategy and to influence external policy and practice.