About Yorkshire Housing
Get To Know The Directors
Mervyn Jones Chief Executive
Mervyn Jones, former Chief Executive at Willow Park Housing Trust in Manchester for eight years, joined Yorkshire Housing in June 2008 to lead the Group.
Mervyn has worked in the housing industry for over 30 years after graduating with a first class degree in Urban and Regional Planning in 1977. He started work in London, before moving to the North in 1983 as Development Director for South Yorkshire Housing Association. Before joining Willow Park, Mervyn worked as Director for Harvest Housing Group.
Mervyn has been a Board Member of the National Housing Federation and was a member of the Tenant Involvement Commission.
Originally from Wales, Mervyn is married with two daughters and now lives in Sheffield.
David Bolton Property Services Director
David has been with Yorkshire Housing for eight years and is responsible for the delivery of Yorkshire Housing’s property related services to over 30,000 customers across Yorkshire, including a PFI contract with Leeds City Council. Services include responsive repairs, planned maintenance, asset management and stock investment. In addition, David takes responsibility for corporate health and safety and oversees the association’s employment and opportunities strategy.
David is also lead Director for Yorkshire Housing's Home Improvement Agencies who provide advice, support, adaptations and handyperson services to over 6,000 vulnerable customers annually operating regionally across Yorkshire in Barnsley, York, Harrogate, Sheffield, Rotherham and Selby.
Before joining Yorkshire Housing, David worked for BPCH, Progress Housing Group and Guinness Northern Counties working across most areas of housing in various senior positions.
David is also a Trustee of the East Lancashire NHS Trust.
David is married with three children and lives in the Ribble Valley.
Tansy Hepton Resources Director
Tansy joined Yorkshire Housing as Group Finance Director in July 2005 after 4 years at the Housing Corporation as Director of Regulation in the North.
She is a chartered accountant and spent most of her career before the Housing Corporation working in the financial services sector, focusing on treasury, risk management and planning.
Ged Walsh New Business & Development Director
Ged Walsh, formerly Head of Investment for the Yorkshire region of the Housing Corporation, has worked in the housing industry for 22 years.
After starting his housing career at Orbit Housing in the south, Ged returned north in 1990 to join Yorkshire Housing as a Development Officer.
A member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and also a Chartered Surveyor, Ged has taken part in housing issues at both a local and regional level. In previous roles, he has also worked with many of the region’s Local Authorities.
Ged is now responsible for Yorkshire Housing's Development & New Business department and the Group's private sales and rental subsidiary, Space Property.
Celia Cashman Housing Services Director
Celia began her housing career in London where she held the post of Housing Services Director in two large, developing housing associations, first Ealing Family (now Catalyst) before moving to The Guinness Trust.
After moving to Yorkshire in 1994, Celia worked for a number of years on a wide range of assignments as a consultant before becoming Chief Executive of Safe Haven Yorkshire - a partnership between Yorkshire Housing and South Yorkshire Housing Association set up to house asylum seekers and refugees.
Pete Hammond Programme Director
Pete joined Yorkshire Housing in April 2011 on a 12 month contract to support project and change management at the association.
Pete is a Management Consultant with eight years of consultancy experience in a range of businesses and industries in the north of England. He specialises in the management of significant change and change processes, mentoring and coaching.
Before moving into consultancy, Pete worked for large companies such as General Accident and Aviva, managing high profile business change.
A Design Engineer by trade, Pete is originally from the Midlands but is now based in Yorkshire.