Our People

Priya Nair joined as Chief Executive of The Housing Finance Corporation in March 2024, bringing over 25 years of experience in financial services, infrastructure and housing. She previously held senior roles at Aberdeen Investments, Royal Bank of Canada and Citi, and specialises in sustainable investment to support positive economic and societal outcomes in the affordable housing sector.

She serves as Non-Executive Director and Investment Committee Chair at the Port of London Authority, and as Senior Trustee for the community sports charity Sported.

Ben Rick joined The Housing Finance Corporation in 2024 as Chief Financial Officer and now serves as Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Commercial Officer. He has held senior trading and portfolio roles at Lehman Brothers, UBS, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In 2012, Ben co-founded Social and Sustainable Capital (SASC), where he served as Chief Executive Officer and established the organisation as a prominent lender to charities and social housing providers. Following his departure from SASC in 2023, he provided advisory services to Lloyds Bank on social housing matters before joining The Housing Finance Corporation.

He sits on the SASC board, serves on the Homewards national expert panel, and advises Crisis on housing supply strategy.

Martin Fent joined The Housing Finance Corporation in January 2025, bringing extensive risk management experience from roles at RBS International and Cynergy Bank. He has led restructuring and portfolio management teams, with a focus on capital and risk frameworks. Martin’s background spans structured finance, corporate lending, bond issuance and property finance.

David Brigden joined The Housing Finance Corporation in July 2025 with 25 years of experience in real estate, housing and corporate finance having held senior roles at Lloyds Banking Group, most recently as Head of Social and Supported Housing. David leads portfolio management and strategic growth at the company. He also serves on the board of YMCA Together.

Lindsay Ahrens leads digital strategy, marketing and communications at The Housing Finance Corporation. She has 10 years of experience in private markets and FinTech across the UK and US, most recently as a Principal Institutional Solutions Consultant at Juniper Square, a private markets technology firm in San Francisco.  She joined the team in December 2024.

Melissa joined The Housing Finance Corporation in 2016 and manages loan security compliance and charging exercises. She is a qualified solicitor with over 20 years’ experience in social housing finance. She previously spent 12 years at Trowers & Hamlins.

Gavin Richards joined The Housing Finance Corporation in 2017 after 27 years at RBS. He has over 20 years of experience lending to the social housing sector across the UK. Gavin currently supports customers in London, the South East, North East, and Northern Ireland.

Kelly Lee joined The Housing Finance Corporation in August 2024 with extensive experience in corporate governance and regulatory compliance. She has led secretariat teams at FTSE 100 companies, overseeing board governance, regulatory reporting, M&A, complex restructuring, and post-acquisition integration.

Ian Lloyd joined The Housing Finance Corporation in 2003, contributing to various finance roles throughout his tenure. In 2021, he assumed the leadership of the Finance team, leveraging his extensive institutional knowledge while overseeing financial operations. He earned his Chartered Management Accountant qualification in 2012.

Andy Lynch joined The Housing Finance Corporation as Director of Credit Risk in 2015, having previously led credit teams at Barclays and Clydesdale & Yorkshire Bank. He has over 30 years of banking experience, latterly as Head of Public Sector Credit at Barclays, covering social housing, education and government exposures.

Will Stevenson leads investor relations, bond issuance, and credit ratings at The Housing Finance Corporation. He played a key role in establishing Blend Funding Plc. Will previously served as Deputy Treasurer and Relationship Manager and holds the AMCT treasury qualification. He has been with company since 2009.

Rob Fox joined The Housing Finance Corporation in June 2024, bringing over 20 years of experience in Talent, HR & global recruiting.  He has led large scale HR transformation and change projects, building & developing global teams and partnering with Exec’s on talent strategies.  Rob has worked across several industries including – Finance, Tech, Telecoms, Media & FMCG

John Hargreaves has led Hargreaves Risk and Strategy since 1996. His previous roles include senior finance positions at DHL, Shell, London Underground, and Barclays. John focuses on aligning risk management with strategic development in the housing sector.

Kartik Mistry began his career at the National Housing Federation and has led IT infrastructure and cloud transitions across multiple industries. He has over 20 years of IT experience and is now driving strategic IT and cloud innovation at The Housing Finance Corporation. He joined the firm in 2024.

George Blunden joined The Housing Finance Corporation Board in March 2019 and was appointed Chair in August 2019. He has a diverse background encompassing investment banking, fund management, and the charitable sector.

George brings extensive experience in the social housing sector, having chaired Southern Housing Group from 1993 to 2006 and Stonewater from 2010 to 2019. He also served as Chair of Charity Bank until May 2019 and was previously Senior Independent Director of Beazley Plc.

Shirley Smith joined The Housing Finance Corporation Board in March 2018 and was appointed Senior Independent Director later that year. She brings over 35 years’ experience in real estate and infrastructure finance, with deep expertise spanning debt, investment, restructuring, workout, and credit.

Shirley has held senior positions at a range of leading organisations, including CBRE, Citi, Barings, PwC, Lend Lease, Assured Guaranty, and EY. She has also served as a non-executive director of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (Europe), contributing to industry best practices and governance.

She holds an MA in Economics and Land Economy from the University of Cambridge and a Certificate in Investments and Financial Derivatives from the Securities & Investment Institute.

Guy Thomas joined The Housing Finance Corporation Board in May 2019. He is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Director with over 30 years’ experience in the financial services sector, specialising in treasury, financial strategy, and risk management.

Guy has extensive experience in corporate finance, treasury operations, and governance, gained through senior roles in both mutual and commercial financial institutions. Prior to his executive retirement, he served as Group Finance Director at Principality Building Society, a leading lender to housing associations. He is a Fellow of The Association of Corporate Treasurers.

David Montague joined The Housing Finance Corporation Board in March 2020. He served as Chief Executive of L&Q, one of Britain’s largest housing associations, from 2008 to 2021. Over a 32-year career with the organisation, David played a pivotal role in its growth and success, leading mergers, acquisitions, major regeneration schemes, and development partnerships with smaller housing associations.

A prominent figure in the housing sector, David has chaired the G15 group of housing associations, served on the board of the National Housing Federation, and advised successive London Mayors on housing policy. In recognition of his services to housing in London, he was awarded a CBE in 2013.

Tony King joined The Housing Finance Corporation Board in March 2020. He has over 20 years’ experience in the housing sector, following a career that began in banking and concluded with his role as Group Treasurer at Sanctuary Group, from which he retired in 2019.

During his time at Sanctuary, Tony managed the Group’s loan book and secured funding for housing development and regeneration projects. His earlier banking career included positions at several international institutions, where he developed extensive expertise in treasury management, financial strategy, and risk oversight.

Scott Bottles joined The Housing Finance Corporation Board in March 2018. He brings over 30 years’ experience in the commercial and residential real estate sectors across both the United Kingdom and the United States.

Until his retirement, Scott served as Executive Vice President and Senior Credit Officer for International Commercial Real Estate at Wells Fargo Bank. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing complex credit strategies and managing international real estate portfolios. His extensive expertise in credit risk, investment evaluation, and real estate finance adds significant value to the Board’s oversight and decision-making.

Gail Teasdale joined The Housing Finance Corporation Board as the National Housing Federation’s (NHF) nominee director in March 2023. She is a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years’ experience, primarily in senior Finance Director roles across both private and public sectors.

Gail was formerly Chief Executive of Broadacres, a housing association based in North Yorkshire, where she led strategic growth and operational excellence to deliver high-quality affordable homes from January 2018 until July 2025. Following her transition from this role on 31 July 2025, Gail stepped down as the NHF nominee director and was appointed as an independent Non-Executive Director on the board.

Her extensive financial and leadership expertise spans housing development, asset management, and regulatory compliance. Gail also brings strong governance experience, having held key board roles focused on audit, risk management, and corporate oversight.

Fiona MacGregor joined The Housing Finance Corporation Board as the Regulator of Social Housing’s nominee director in July 2023. She has been Chief Executive of the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) since October 2018, leading the organisation responsible for the economic regulation of registered social housing providers across England.

Fiona has extensive experience in housing regulation and finance, having served as Executive Director of Regulation at the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) from November 2015 until the establishment of RSH. Prior to that, she held senior roles at the Housing Corporation and London and Quadrant, a major registered housing provider. Her expertise encompasses regulatory strategy, governance, and sector oversight, supporting the delivery of high-quality, well-governed social housing.

Alistair Smyth joined The Housing Finance Corporation Board as the National Housing Federation’s (NHF) nominee director in September 2025. Alistair is Director of Policy and Research at the NHF and brings over 15 years’ experience in the social housing sector. He has held senior leadership roles across sector organisations and advisory committees, with expertise in external affairs, social investment, neighbourhood management, and policy development. He also serves on the Chartered Institute of Housing’s Policy Advisory Committee.