Board

Chair: Simon Hardwick

Simon, who is Chair of the Board, joined Saxon Weald in March 2021. He is a lawyer by profession and specialised in commercial property, development and construction. He was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) until his retirement from the firm at the end of 2015. Since then, he has held non-executive Chair and director roles in private and publicly owned businesses – primarily in the property and construction sectors. He lives at his family's equestrian centre on the Hertfordshire/Essex border with his wife, Sally, their daughter, her partner and grandchildren – as well as horses, dogs, cats, chicken and geese. His interests include rugby (now as a spectator), motor racing (again, sadly, now only as a spectator) and horses. He was a selector for the gold medal winning London 2012 Olympic British Dressage team and has been awarded the British Dressage Medal of Honour for services to equestrian sport.

Vice Chair: Hannah Eaton

Hannah grew up in West Sussex and after moving away has returned to raise her family. She lives in Washington and has been a shared ownership tenant with Saxon Weald for 5 years. Hannah currently works as a Project and Change Manager in justice services across the south coast. She has worked in public services for 20 years within homelessness, performance management and commissioning. Hannah loves exploring the Sussex countryside, trail running, cooking and music.

Acting Chief Executive & Executive Director - Finance & Governance: Michael Chinn, FCCA, CPFA (also Company Secretary)

Michael joined Saxon Weald in March 2020. Before moving into the housing sector, he trained in Practice Accountancy. Michael was previously Deputy Finance Director of a medium sized housing association in West London and then Director of Finance and Resources at a Croydon association. Michael has served as a board member of other housing associations and is currently a board member of Eldon Housing in South London.

Graham Stark

Graham is the Development Director and a Major Project Director for a privately owned investment company based in central London.  He has over 25 years’ of experience in property managing large scale portfolios and projects. Most recently, he has successfully led Imperial College London’s new innovation district and campus in west London, a large 6,000 homes development in the Royal Docks for Lendlease and Starwood Capital and currently the South East’s largest next generation enterprise park which is leading the way in the UK’s transition towards net zero. Graham has a keen interest in sustainable real estate development and in creating great places that put the customer first. When not working, Graham enjoys spending time with his family, learning new things and travelling (and ideally all three at the same time).

Jo Boswell

Jo is an independent consultant providing advisory and coaching services to Boards and senior leaders to help them drive improvements in customer experience. She helps organisations work out how to utilise customer data, insight, and technology; and supports them in leading the cultural change needed to transform customer experience and improve business results. Jo previously enjoyed a career with British Airways spanning 27 years where she held a number of senior leadership roles within the Commercial and Customer functions and led a successful initiative that embedded personalisation into the customer experience and service strategy. Jo is also an independent member of the Customer Services Committee of Town and Country Housing Association.

As a keen amateur violinist, Jo performs regularly with the Ealing Symphony Orchestra where she is also Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Julian Chun

Julian is currently Executive Director of Homes for a medium sized south-west London housing association. He is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CMCIH) and has spent most of his career leading service improvements across asset and housing management services for several local, regional and national housing providers. Trained as a building surveyor at South Bank University, Julian has led diverse professional teams with a clear focus on staff engagement and customer services. He has held several voluntary roles in local community groups, and non-executive roles within the housing sector. Julian currently sits on the Board at Croydon Churches Housing Association, and is a member of their Audit and Risk, and Development Committees. He enjoys travelling and each year organises one of the UK's largest junior football tournaments.

Kalwant Grewal

Kalwant has extensive experience across healthcare, social housing and not-for-profit sectors, with strong expertise in governance, strategic leadership, and financial management. Throughout his career, he has held numerous senior roles, including Non-Executive Director, Committee Chair, and Executive-level positions, where he has led transformative initiatives that significantly impacted community development and organisational success. Kalwant has overseen substantial operations, managed large-scale projects, and navigated complex financial and regulatory landscapes. He has guided organisations through strategic planning, risk management, and governance excellence, always with a focus on delivering tangible social value and fostering vibrant, inclusive communities.

Laila Court

Laila joined the Board in July 2024, bringing broad experience from her time working at British Airways and Shell. She has extensive experience in overseeing large-scale digital transformation programmes across various industries, always placing the customer at the core of any delivery initiatives. 

Laila has held senior leadership and advisory roles in numerous digital transformation initiatives, guiding them from inception and strategic planning to successful implementation. Her deep passion for technology and digital innovation drives her commitment to enhancing customer experiences and achieving business excellence.

Throughout her career, Laila has been a fervent advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). She has leveraged her leadership platform to foster dialogue, promote inclusivity, and champion meaningful change.

Laila enjoys spending time with her large family, her very ‘energetic’ dog, travelling and her work at Save the Children and Smart Works.

Susan Morris

Susan has an interest in business which started from working alongside her father in the family firm. She now has shared ownership/directorship of a business that specialises in psychoeducation and coaching for individuals with autism, ADHD, trauma and mental health issues. She is a versatile professional with vast experience working with adults and children from diverse backgrounds who have a wide range of needs and challenges. Susan has worked in the charity, education and research sectors in roles ranging from teaching, special educational needs to youth advisor. She thrives when working with people from challenging circumstances, inspiring them to take action and achieve. Susan has been a tenant with Saxon Weald for over a decade. She enjoys the countryside, walking, horses, dogs, gardening, reading and learning.

Neil Perrins

We welcomed Neil as a Saxon Weald Board member in November 2024.  He brings a wide range of experience from holding senior roles in the housing sector and beyond, and is Chief Financial Officer at housing association CHP, based in Essex.

Neil previously worked at Barking Riverside, a Joint Venture between the Mayor of London and L&Q, where he was Finance Director. Prior to that he was the Executive Director of Resources at Golding Homes and spent 15 years at Transport for London, his final role being the Head of Financial Planning & Analysis.

Neil is an experienced Non-Executive Director.  He is a Board member and Chair of Audit & Risk Committee at Croydon Churches Housing Association, and an Independent Board Member at LHC, a Procurement organisation operating across the public sector in all of England, Wales and Scotland.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and recently completed a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Warwick.