Board members
Vic Baylis (Interim Chair)
Vic recently retired as the Director of Customer Services at Westminster City Council. Prior to this he worked for many years in the housing service for Westminster and went on to become the Director of Housing establishing CityWest Homes which he later chaired. Vic lives locally in Rickmansworth and is a season ticket holder of Watford FC and in his spare time enjoys playing golf.
Committee Membership:- Customer Experience Panel
Kate McLeod (Interim Vice Chair)
Kate recently retired as CFO of the Royal Mencap Society, where her responsibilities covered property and IT as well as Finance. Prior to that, her career was spent working in various finance roles in Investment Management firms. She now sits on a number of Risk, Audit and Finance committees of Not for Profit organisations. Kate lives in Buckinghamshire and joined the Thrive board in May 2018.
- Risk & Audit Committee (Chair)
Malcolm Green
Malcolm was a senior executive with BAE Systems until his retirement in 2011. For 15 years he was responsible for all Real Estate activities in the company including residential regeneration schemes in collaboration with housing developers and social housing providers. He was also Chair of a company pension scheme until his retirement. He lives in Chorleywood and has been a Thrive Board member since Autumn 2012.
- Resources & Development Committee
- Risk & Audit Committee
Rachel Harrison
Rachel Harrison is finance director and company secretary for the Wokingham Borough Council owned housing companies, comprised of a housing developer and registered provider of social and affordable homes. Prior to working in housing, Rachel worked in management consulting and international finance in the UK and USA.
Rachel holds her MBA in Finance from Wharton Business School in the USA and gained her Chartered Institute of Management (CIMA) qualification whilst living overseas in Azerbaijan. She also holds NED and Trustee positions focusing on the housing and international development sectors. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys travelling and is an avid amateur golfer.
Committee membership:- Risk & Audit
- Remuneration & Governance
Craig O'Donnell
Craig is the Head of Digital Innovation at Grosvenor, one of the world's largest privately owned property businesses. Grosvenor develops, manages and invests in property in more than 60 cities around the world. Prior to his current role, Craig was the Chief Information Officer at Landsec - a FTSE 100 Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) and the UK’s largest commercial property company.
Committee Membership:- Resources & Development Committee
Graham Olive
Graham is a commercial banker with over 25 years’ experience in the UK and internationally. He established and developed a northern European structured finance business for a major international bank. He now specialises in business development and risk management and is currently Interim Deputy CEO of OakNorth Bank, a new challenger bank with a focus on business lending. Graham is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing, country walks and is a member of the CPRE.
- Committee Membership:
- Remuneration & Governance Committee (Interim Chair)
- Risk & Audit Committee
- Customer Experience Panel member
Jamie Smith
Jamie is Group Finance Director for Vertas Group, a multi-service facilities management company operating across the UK. Prior to joining Vertas Group, Jamie was Deputy Chief Executive at Swan Housing Group, and before that he worked in a number of Finance Director roles in the construction sector.
- Resources & Development Committee (Chair)
Tonia Warren
Tonia is a Director of EAB Homes, an award-winning development company building bespoke luxury properties. As comfortable developing design concepts as she is choosing furnishings and finishes, Tonia’s experience ranges from Site Management to Finances and everything in-between. Tonia is the Chair of Beaconsfield4Business and joined the team at Thrive in May 2019.
Committee membership:- Risk & Audit Committee
- Resource & Development Committee
Executive Management Team
Chief Executive
Elspeth Mackenzie
Elspeth joined Thrive Homes as Chief Executive in January 2009, having previously been the Chief Executive of Griffin Homes, part of the Origin Housing Group that focused on low cost home-ownership and rent for key workers.
She has had a varied career in housing management, spanning 20 years and has a wide experience of property management, strategic planning, organisational development and the governance of housing associations.
Voluntary roles have included the Vice-Chair of Crown Housing Association, and Chair of Grange Housing and she is currently a member of the Local Strategic Partnership Board. Elspeth also mentors others within the profession through Housing Diversity Network.
Elspeth is committed to working with residents and the wider community to deliver Thrive Homes’ vision.
Operations Director
Jo Barrett
Jo was appointed in June 2008, previously having worked at Stevenage Borough Council as their Director of Technical Services and was involved in the setting up of Stevenage Homes in 2006. This was an Arms Length Management Organisation responsible for the management of the Council's housing stock. There, she was responsible for the implementation of their asset management strategy and delivery of the decent homes improvement programme, as well as the day to day repairs service.
She has 20 years experience in the housing sector, having worked for 15 years at North Hertfordshire District Council. Whilst Jo was there, she was involved in the transfer of their stock to North Hertfordshire Homes, a specially set up housing association.
Jo obtained a BSc in Building Surveying in 1994 and qualified as a Chartered Building Surveyor in 1995. Jo is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Development Director
Jack Burnham
Jack joined Thrive Homes in 2017, having previously worked for a large developer based in London and the Home Counties. His previous experience crosses both the public and private sector, including working for local authorities in Essex and Hertfordshire as well as a London-based housebuilder.
After graduating from the University of Birmingham, Jack completed postgraduate studies in housing. He holds professional membership of the Chartered Institute of Housing, Institute of Economic Development and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Jack, who is passionate about housing, has dedicated most of his career to building affordable homes. He has also previously served as Chair of a small housing association which provides specialist accommodation and support to people with mental health issues and learning difficulties.
Jack will utilise his knowledge of the commercial residential development industry in order to achieve Thrive’s development ambitions.
Finance Director
Mark Farrar
Mark Farrar joined Thrive in 2020 to help develop processes that achieve business objectives, support the wider business and help set strategy for the near- and long-term. Before joining Thrive, Mark served as Head of Finance for the housing association bpha. Prior to this position, he worked for Tesco PLC for 17 years, holding various financial leadership positions.
Through his experience across different sectors, Mark’s skills will compliment those of the wider Leadership Team as he will be able to challenge and develop current approaches allowing Thrive to further its position as a forward-thinking leader in the housing sector.
Corporate Services Director
Karen Forbes-Jackson
Karen Forbes-Jackson joined Thrive in 2020, having previously held roles with MDG (part of Premier Medical Group), Network Housing Group and Sanctuary Group. With more than 25 years of generalist HR experience at the strategic and operational level, she brings the ability to proactively meet business needs in a rapidly developing, customer-focused organisation.
Her voluntary roles have included serving as a board member for local housing association B3 Living, as well as Chair of the Better Business Committee and Vice Chair of the Audit Committee. She has also been involved with Scouts and Alzheimer Society.
Karen ensures Thrive has the resiliency, skill and ability to seamlessly adjust as it continues to grow.