Welcome to WISH East

A dynamic energetic and enthusiastic professional who achieves excellent results. Sandra is a conscientious and driven senior housing professional with a passionate sense of purpose, and a tremendous appetite for customer excellence and continuous improvement.  
As a CIH Fellow, she is a trusted professional with extensive housing experience and a commitment to ethical standards.
She has a combination of sound commercial acumen with core social values that have allowed her to lead and navigate successfully through some of the most challenging strategic environments, whilst keeping customer-centric values at heart.  
 There is an increasing awareness of the housing crisis, with a need to grow talent who can respond to the rapidly changing social, financial and political landscape.
Sandra is keen to raise the profile on how a career in housing is not only rewarding but also one that can make a real difference in people’s lives. She’s keen to highlight that each and every day is different, where you can go from grappling with significant societal issues, to sharing the first moment someone walks into their new home.

Sasha has worked in construction for over 20 years, and has worked for some of the largest construction & electrical engineering companies within the industry.

As Regional Partnerships Director at Lovell, and working with sister company Morgan Sindall Construction, Sasha introduced Women into Construction to Norfolk, organising an exciting pilot project during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. This pilot saw a positive action programme deployed in the region to support a group of approximately 15 women with pre-employment training and work-placements. The programme comprised a series of mentoring circles, work-ready training, work placements, site tours and training for taking the CSCS card test, as well as extensive one-to-one mentoring.

Sasha is very much focused on creating and nurturing long term partnerships and relationships in both business and the community, and whilst a lot of businesses are talking about there needing to be more roles for women in construction, Sasha is taking action to promote and educate women from school age about the benefits and opportunities of a career in the industry. She is particularly passionate about showcasing the wide variety of roles available to women from surveying, and technical roles, to the more operational roles which often lack diversity. She is also leading the way in engaging with students in schools from an earlier age, with a strong belief that engagement doesn’t start young enough to introduce construction as a fantastic career choice for women.

Kelly has worked in Social Housing for 10 years in a variety of roles spanning customer experience, repairs and maintenance, customer safety and asset management. She joined Accent Group as Building Information Manager covering all aspects of Asset data management and building safety.

Kelly has completed CIOB Level 6 Diplomas in Fire Safety Management and Building Safety Management, being one of the first cohorts to complete this qualification. She has a drive for ensuring good quality data is shared with colleagues and customers to ensure that homes are safe and fit for purpose.

Being a board member for Wish East helps Kelly in her ambition to bring more women into the property sector; she enjoys mentoring and championing others.

Anna is an Assistant Manager at Beever and Struthers, a professional services firm who specialise in audit, tax, consulting and service charge examinations within the social housing sector. Anna works within the Risk Assurance and Advisory team and manages a range of clients nationally ranging from small providers of 1,000 units up to G15 providers with over 60,000 units. Anna leads on specialist internal audit work including building and fire safety, development and property compliance and is passionate about working to help providers keep their residents safe.

Rebecca has experience of leading a wide range of maintenance, planned investment and compliance areas both in Housing Associations and Local Authority environments.

Rebecca has led on sector leading procurement for large scale 20 year partnering contracts. She is committed to driving forward collaborative procurement and collaborative partnerships to ensure that outputs for residents remains focused on quality.

Rebecca looks to increase the housing sector’s understanding in this area by sharing the knowledge of how these dynamic partnerships deliver in an ever challenging environment and the innovation that can be gained from long term arrangements.

Lynsey brings over 15 years of experience in the housing industry, with a strong track record across legal, financial, marketing, business development, and procurement functions. As Head of New Business at SER Contractor Ltd.—a leading SME in the South East—she oversees all pre-construction activities and is instrumental in building and maintaining a strong project pipeline.

Her expertise spans building safety, energy efficiency, decarbonisation, refurbishment, placemaking, and repairs. A passionate advocate for sustainability, Lynsey has contributed to pioneering initiatives such as the UK’s first whole-house retrofitting scheme and Europe’s largest ground source heat pump project.

“I am committed to driving change. As a Board Member for Women in Social Housing (WISH), I want to champion greater female representation in STEM, construction, and housing. I want to help empower women in the sector through practical, technical, and inspiring content that helps break down barriers and support career growth”.

Eloise works as a professional quantity surveyor for a world-trusted consultancy firm helping to deliver affordable and future proofed homes for those who need them. As someone who took a career change to enter the housing sector, Eloise is keen to expand awareness of the multitude of career opportunities available and promote how rewarding working in the sector can be. Eloise is early in her career, currently working towards Assessment of Professional Competence with the RICS, however is an ambitious individual who is enthusiastic to raise the voices of women as we continue to strive for equality.’

Alice is an experienced solicitor who has dedicated the past eight years to working within the internal legal team of a registered provider, where she also completed her training and qualification. Now leading a team of commercial property lawyers, Alice plays a vital role in delivering new housing stock across East Anglia, contributing directly to the growth of affordable, sustainable communities.

Throughout her career, Alice has been deeply committed to supporting others on their professional journeys. She has trained and mentored peers through to qualification—many of whom are now thriving in social housing  and development legal roles of their own. Her passion for collaboration and knowledge-sharing reflects her broader commitment to the values of the sector.

Alice is extremely proud to work alongside a team and company full of inspiring women, and she hopes to continue championing others—both now and in the future—by leading with purpose, integrity, and care.

I am a Community Investment Lead at Peabody with more than 22 years' experience in housing, community investment, and resident engagement. My career has been driven by a passion for creating opportunities for people and communities to thrive, bringing together residents, local authorities, health partners, and voluntary organisations to work alongside our communities to support meaningful and lasting social impact across Bedfordshire and Luton.

Supporting women to grow and succeed in the housing sector is something I care deeply about, which is why I am proud to be both a WISH mentor and now Board member. Throughout my career, I have championed collaboration, mentoring and community-led change, supporting individuals to build confidence, develop their careers and achieve their potential

Outside of work, you'll often find me on a tennis court, where I play several times a week as well as volunteer at our local club; promoting inclusion and wellbeing through tennis. I also support a local community garden project, helping to maintain its governance and policies so it can continue making a positive difference to mental health and growing of food for residents and the wider community.

Alana is a partnering leader with 20 years’ experience in social housing construction both with a Housing Association and for main contractors. Her specialism is in helping shape and deliver high-quality repairs, planned maintenance, retrofit, and building safety services that improve homes, enhance lives, and strengthen communities. Alana leads cross-functional teams in social value, bids, and estimating to secure, mobilise, and deliver contracts that align with clients’ goals and deliver meaningful outcomes. Her focus is on building long-term partnerships that prioritise tenant satisfaction and experience, sustainability, and social impact.

Alana is passionate about the role of construction in driving regeneration and opportunity. Coaching, mentoring, and life-long learning is a huge part of Alana’s role, and she has a passion for attracting and retaining female talent in the sector.

Alana has an MSc in Senior Leadership and was a regional finalist for the East of England National Apprenticeship Awards in 2024. She has had articles published by the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP), is a regular contributor to bidding and social housing publications, and is a Bidding Solutions Expert Panel member.

Caroline is the Head of People Services & Operations at Accent Housing and Deputy Safeguarding Lead. She leads the People Services, business partnering, reward, wellbeing and safeguarding, helping turn organisational priorities into practical people solutions. An Insights Practitioner and qualified coach, Caroline is passionate about inclusive, values-led leadership and creating workplaces where people can thrive. She is keen to bring her people expertise and collaborative approach to the WISH East Board.

Emma is a Marketing Manager working within the social housing and property services sector, with a varied career spanning marketing, communications, business development, operations and events. She brings extensive experience in building relationships, engaging with a wide range of audiences and delivering initiatives that support business growth.

She is passionate about bringing people together and creating opportunities for professionals to connect, share experiences and learn from one another. Emma believes strong networks can make a real difference in building confidence, supporting career development and encouraging progression across the sector.

Emma is delighted to join the WISH East Board and looks forward to contributing her experience, insight and enthusiasm to the network, playing an active role in its continued development and helping to strengthen connections across the region.