By Nicky Passmore, Board Member
I spent my career working in executive roles focused on customer experience, before becoming chief executive of a charity. Work has always been a big part of who I am, it’s where I find purpose and energy. But four years ago, everything changed.
I caught COVID, a mild case though, nothing dramatic. I went straight back to work, thinking nothing of it. But a month later, I collapsed, and that was the beginning of my long COVID journey. I now live with a variant of chronic fatigue, which is invisible, unpredictable, and debilitating. If you met me for a short period, you’d think I look well, but in reality, I have to be housebound four or five days a week to stay that way.
It was devastating. I had to give up my full-time job as Chief Exec of a charity and give up the world travels, I’ve always loved. So, once I started stabilising, I asked myself: what next? I’d always planned to take on non-executive director (NED) roles alongside my exec career, so I thought I’d give it a go, but it wasn’t as straightforward as I hoped.
Many boards require face-to-face attendance for all meetings so that ruled out most roles for me. Even if the location was only an hour away, the journey would take such a toll that I’d be out of action for days after. But then I saw the advert for a Board role at Yorkshire Housing, and straight away, something clicked! The values on the page felt like mine - the tone, the energy! I remember thinking, someone's written down my thoughts with slightly different words. Then I saw the line: “we welcome applicants from across the UK and will support flexible ways of working” I knew I had to find out more.
I called the governance team to talk openly about my disability and what support might look like in practice. We talked through how board meetings would run, what hybrid working really meant, and how they could make sure inclusion wasn’t just a policy, but a lived experience. And that approach continued through the entire recruitment process, from initial chats to the interview day. I was offered the chance to do the final interview remotely, but decided to do it in person, despite the toll it took, because I needed to know if I could handle the journey.
Now I sit on the Board and serve on committees too. I attend three face-to-face meetings a year, which, for me, takes a full week when you include the preparation and recovery on either side. The rest are held online. The set-up has been shaped not just for me, but with me. When I go up to Leeds, I travel by train and stay over for three nights instead of just the one. It’s tiring, and I need that time to build up enough energy to fully take part and be the best board member I can be on the day. That flexibility means I can show up, contribute, and give it my all, even if the journey takes more out of me than most. And I really do love those in-person meetings. There’s just something about being in the same room – you can break off and have a proper natter with people, catch up over a brew, and get to know your fellow board members that bit better.
What’s more, I’ve never had to raise things repeatedly. I was open from the start about having a disability, and since then, Yorkshire Housing has taken the lead, checking in, adjusting plans, and making things work and that’s what sets Yorkshire Housing apart. They understand that flexibility isn’t just about working from home. It’s about asking, “what do you need?” and then acting on it. Whether that’s supporting longer overnight stays when I go to Yorkshire or setting a meeting schedule that lets me contribute at my best, they’ve thought it through.
It’s not just talk, either. This level of support goes from HR all the way to the Chair of the Board. Ingrid, our Chair, was open with me about how face-to-face had always been her preferred way of working. But she leaned into new ways of doing things, and together we found a rhythm that works.
I genuinely love the role. We’ve got a brilliant, diverse board with different ways of thinking and working, and that includes how we run meetings. Some of the richest conversations come from our online sessions, where people have space to reflect and speak in their own style. There’s challenge, but it’s healthy. We ask, “why is that the best option?” or “have we considered this?”, not just to poke holes, but to make the organisation stronger. And I learn just as much from my fellow board members as I do from the papers.
For me, being part of Yorkshire Housing is more than just a role. It’s about contributing to something bigger, in a way that’s sustainable for me. And it only works because this organisation sees support not as a favour, but as the foundation for doing brilliant work together. That’s not just good for people like me. It’s good for everyone. And it’s why I’m proud to say I work with Yorkshire Housing.