Welcome to WISH London

Frances is a very experienced town planner and a Director of SY2 Planning. She has a broad range of planning, regeneration and development experience, having worked in both the private and public sectors. Frances has specialist planning experience in the housing sector and is a member of both the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Royal Town Planning Institute, as well as being an Associate member of the Institute of Environmental Management.

Frances currently advises a number of Housing Associations, public sector and private clients on a range of housing led projects within London and the South East, including the development of strategic sites, estate regeneration, new affordable homes schemes, housing-led mixed use schemes and EIA development. She is also very experienced in stakeholder engagement

Frances is proud to have been a board member of WISH London since 2019 and is keen to expand and diversify WISH London’s membership and to support women across the sector.

Anneka is currently Strategy and Development Director at Sureserve Compliance South, who provide heating solutions across in the social housing industry.

Anneka has 15 years’ experience in public sector tendering and business improvement across a range of industries including asset management, compliance, fire safety, recruitment and fleet management.

Anneka’s current role includes developing initiatives to successfully transform the business in line with strategic objectives, whilst supporting a diverse customer base. Her projects include training operatives to spot signs on domestic abuse featured on BBC Breakfast and saw her win Professional of the Year at Women in Housing Awards in 2023

Pippa is an accomplished Social Value and Marketing Manager, boasting a remarkable 22-year track record in both Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) marketing, spanning the UK and international markets. Currently specialising in the UK Housing sector, Pippa brings extensive expertise in brand management, event organisation, and successful marketing strategies.

As a Marketing Manager, Pippa successfully led the rebranding efforts of two distinct companies, Kinovo plc and Anpario plc, demonstrating her ability to create and shape brand identities. She played a pivotal role in consolidating three companies into one cohesive brand for both organisations, a strategic move that laid a strong foundation for future organic growth.

Pippa's role extends beyond traditional marketing, as she is solely managing and implementing Social Value processes for Kinovo plc. Her accomplishments include the successful implementation of the Social Value Strategy and policy, enhancing brand awareness, and communicating success stories related to Social Value initiatives.

Known for her proactive and collaborative approach, Pippa finds the most joy in actively interacting with diverse organisations in the sector, fostering collaboration among clients, suppliers, and networking groups. A dedicated advocate of WISH, she is enthusiastic about contributing fresh ideas on wellbeing and neurodiversity.

Pippa's professional attributes include effective stakeholder communication, leadership, analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Her ability to work flexibly and adapt to changing business needs, coupled with her budget management expertise, positions her as a valuable asset to the WISH London Regional Board.

Janine is a built environment professional with sixteen years' experience in the housing industry, managing brownfield development, estate regeneration, stakeholder engagement and new business projects. Whilst currently running Aveland Consulting, providing business development, bid management and project management expertise to the private sector, Janine has extensive experience working in social housing across housing associations and local authorities.

Passionate about the need for productive partnerships between the private and public housing sectors, Janine’s focus is on the need for placemaking and balanced communities sitting at the heart of all housing development. A proactive and collaborate solution-focussed approach is central to her successes in new business creation and largescale regeneration project delivery.

Before moving into the private sector, Janine spent four years in resident engagement, housing management, development and policy in the public sector. Leading on Local Authority stakeholder consultation and community engagement for a South London estate regeneration scheme, her masterplanning success is testament to a pragmatic approach, negotiating balanced messaging whilst building positive, solution-focussed, relationships with partners.

Janine’s qualifications include an English Literature and Language degree from the University of Oxford, a MA Housing Practice obtained at Westminster University and a MSc Urban Regeneration from University College London. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and the RTPI.

Janine actively encourages female talent in the development industry. As well as regularly lecturing to University of Westminster Housing and Urban Regeneration students over a five year period, she enjoys speaking at educational events. Her 16 years’ experience across private and public sector housing development drives Janine’s WISH Board focus of encouraging female talent into an industry that will strongly benefit from broader, more inclusive input.

Joan is the Founder of Pinehill Training, where she delivers accredited training programmes including pre-tenancy preparation and English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) with employability skills. She's passionate about giving people the literacy tools they need to thrive in their homes and communities.

With a Masters in Housing Management from London School of Economics (LSE) and CIHCM membership, Joan bridges academic research with grassroots practice. Joan's is currently undertaking a one-year research project with the LSE, Housing and Communities, into how language and cultural barriers affect social housing tenants. Her work explores why communication breakdowns lead to evictions and how to prevent them.

Her career journey started as a housing manager before moving into education where Joan led programmes supporting vulnerable communities including Afghan refugees and Ukrainian displaced persons. Her work shows we need early intervention with someone who understands both the human story and the business case for tenants to thrive.

On the WISH London board, Joan oversees existing memberships, helping to nurture and strengthen the vibrant community that makes our mission possible.

Pamela is a committed new business and service development manager with extensive experience in regional senior care and support business teams within large housing associations. She has significant project and change management experience including growth, staff development, communications, mergers, service transfers and new business.

Pamela is passionate about diversity and inclusion having contributed to various G15 diversity and inclusion strategies and staff network groups. She is a founding member of Houseproud, the social housing network for LGBT colleagues and was awarded inclusion champion in the 2018 Housing for Women awards, for this work. A strong believer in coaching and mentoring to increase diversity in management, Pamela currently leads Thrive, NHG’s care and support mentoring programme, delivered in partnership with the Housing Diversity Network.

Joining the board of WISH in 2022 Pamela hopes to raise the profile of women in social housing and the membership of WISH through dynamic events and opportunities to network which include all aspects of intersectionality for women.

Gavinder is a Partner and Head of Housing Management (London) at Capsticks, where she leads a national team of lawyers advising housing providers and local authorities on complex tenancy and housing management issues.  She specialises in contentious housing matters, with particular expertise in anti-social behaviour, tenancy fraud and safeguarding and is widely recognised for her pragmatic, solutions-focused approach. 

With 25 years’ experience in the housing sector, Gavinder has acted in some of the leading cases shaping modern housing law.  She is a trusted advisor to senior leadership teams, combining technical excellence with a deep understanding of the challenges facing social landlords and the communities they serve.

Alongside her legal practice, Gavinder regularly presents on topical issues affecting the housing sector, sharing insights on emerging trends, developments and best practice.  She is a sought-after speaker at industry conferences and training events. 

A passionate advocate for diversity, inclusion and mentoring, Gavinder actively supports the development of women in the housing profession.  As a board member for WISH, she is committed to championing equality of opportunity and creating space for women’s voices and leadership across the sector. 

Rebecca is a senior architect and has over 15 years’ experience leading the delivery of social housing across London and Cambridge, and in this time securing planning permission for over 1,500 homes. Her experience includes infill schemes, regeneration, masterplanning, conversion and restoration, third age housing and commercial. This has involved extensive public consultation, planning, detailed design and construction, as well as successful competition entries for large scale regeneration and residential developments.

In addition to this Rebecca has contributed to the publications The Deck Access Housing Design Guide (Buildings Editor) and What is the Future of High Rise Housing? (researcher) and in 2019 curated the #MapLondon conference (hosted by Arup in collaboration with Coherent Cities) which brought together over 100 industry leaders to consider how London can use its data and mapping tools to lead globally on smart city making.

Rebecca has led a seminar group at London Metropolitan University on the Part II Advocacy course. This course required students to define their aspirations to be an ethical professional, that they might inspire positive change and use their skills and expertise to contribute meaningfully to the betterment of society.

Rebecca recognises the transformative power of professional networks and collaboration, aligning with WISH's commitment to thought leadership and meaningful change.

With over two decades in social housing, Christina began as a receptionist and rose through senior roles, dedicating her career to empowering communities and improving lives. She’s led multi-million-pound estate improvement programmes, driven resident engagement, and received awards for her impact in housing and community development.

Now Head of Social Value at Mulalley, Christina continues to deliver transformative outcomes—securing significant funding for charities including CYT, Be Inspired, and Cook for Good. She’s a mental health first aider, ASIST-trained, and a proud mentor for young people and women in construction.  In 2024, she launched the Believe Programme, creating paid internships for 16–24-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds. A mentor, ally, and advocate, Christina is widely recognised as a social value influencer—championing diversity, inclusion, and collaboration across the sector. Her work continues to inspire and uplift communities nationwide.

Violet’s a senior digital marketing and communications manager, with 12 years+ experience delivering the promotion and positioning of award-winning property and retail brands. Alongside her day-to-day role, she heads up the award-winning ethnicity staff network group at Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing. She’s also a marketing and comms lead for UNIFY - a collective of staff network groups focused on celebrating culture and raising awareness of career barriers and other sector inequalities for ethnically employees. Violet’s passionate about playing an active role in improving the lived experience of colleagues in the workplace to enhance employee engagement, performance, and culture.

As a champion for diversity and inclusion, Violet hopes to contribute positively and proactively to creating an even more diverse WISH network where Black and ethnic minority women also feel included, valued, and empowered to reach their full potential. She believes intersectional feminism truly matters right now because it offers a lens through which we can better understand and support one another and strive towards more equitable and beneficial outcomes for all women.

Winner of the ‘Woman of the Year’ - Women in Housing Awards 2021.

A woman of colour operating in the male dominated property sector, Asha Agarwal has 25 years’ experience in the affordable home ownership sector. Joining the industry at a young age, she cut her teeth at some of the UK’s most prominent housing associations and organisations, starting at L&Q and working her way up to leading the affordable home ownership arm of real estate giant Savills at Director level. Asha has helped over 1,000 first-time buyers onto the housing ladder throughout her career

Asha is now applying her years of experience to running her own award winning consultancy, Inspire New Homes, which supports smaller housing associations and local authorities in transforming their sales and marketing strategies. Asha helps organisations to maximise profits and implement best practices, enabling them to reinvest in the cross-subsidy of affordable home delivery.

Asha's CV showcases her passion and results-oriented approach in advocating for the new build property market, while prioritising the delivery of quality homes and services for customers. Her commitment to exceptional customer care, aligned values, and aspirations for diversity resonate deeply. It is Asha’s passion for getting people on the housing ladder that drives her every day, and she is ever committed to the new homes industry. Her role as a consultant and naturally inquisitive nature means she has a huge knowledge of the industry, what works and what doesn’t. Asha will be a breath of fresh air and will bring with her a wealth of knowledge within the designing of new homes as she has been heavily involved with newbuild projects which include layout designs, specification, location, amenities and delivery.

Sanja Topalovic is an Independent Strategic Advisor and Consultant with experience across commercial strategy, procurement, transformation and stakeholder engagement. Her career spans social housing, government, international trade, marketing and start-ups, where she has built a reputation for bringing people together, creating clarity and turning ideas into meaningful outcomes.

Most recently, Sanja held a senior procurement leadership role at The Hyde Group and has also served as Vice Chair of the G15 London Communities of Practice, helping to strengthen collaboration and knowledge sharing across the housing sector.

Sanja is passionate about mentoring, inclusive leadership and creating opportunities for women to build confidence, connections and successful careers on their own terms. She brings this passion to the WISH London Regional Board, supporting a strong and inclusive community where women can connect, grow and thrive.