Growth Committee, Great Places
In summer 2025, Great Places Housing Group partnered with Neemar Search to establish its newly created Growth Committee - a strategic governance body responsible for providing oversight of development, regeneration, retrofit and long-term asset investment.
The Challenge
Created following the closure of the Cube Homes subsidiary Board, the Committee represented an important evolution in Great Places' governance framework. With responsibility for more than 25,000 homes across the North West, Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Cheshire, the organisation required a committee capable of providing strategic challenge, commercial oversight and long-term thinking while remaining firmly aligned to its social purpose.
The brief extended beyond simply appointing experienced Board members. Great Places wanted to build a governance team with the diversity of thought, experience and backgrounds needed to support ambitious growth while avoiding groupthink. The organisation was also committed to improving representation, particularly increasing female and LGBTQ+ representation within a governance area that had traditionally been male dominated.
The appointments needed to combine commercial expertise with a genuine understanding of housing, placemaking and community impact, ensuring the Committee could confidently support the organisation's long-term ambitions.
The Solution
Neemar Search designed a phased, values-led search strategy aligned to Great Places' transformation programme and organisational values of fairness, care, partnership, appreciation and innovation.
Working closely with the Chair, Chief Executive, Governance Team and Board, we developed an assessment framework focused not only on technical expertise, but also leadership behaviours, cultural alignment and the ability to contribute strategically within a complex governance environment.
Recognising that the strongest candidates would come from a range of sectors, we undertook a comprehensive market mapping exercise across housing, infrastructure, real estate and other highly regulated industries. This enabled us to identify leaders who could bring fresh commercial perspectives alongside governance experience.
Inclusive recruitment was embedded throughout the process. We actively engaged underrepresented talent through community networks, lived experience organisations and targeted executive outreach to ensure the widest possible range of perspectives.
The Outcome
The resulting shortlist reflected Great Places' commitment to building a more representative Board, with 50% female candidates and 10% identifying as LGBTQ+, both of which resulted in successful appointments. Throughout the process, our focus remained on identifying exceptional leaders who combined governance excellence with diverse experiences and values aligned to Great Places' mission.
The search concluded with the successful appointment of an exceptional Growth Committee, bringing together expertise from housing, retail, real estate and residential development.
The appointments included:
- Dean Clegg – Chair, former Director of Stores at Sainsbury's
- Catherine Birks – Senior Director, CBRE
- Michael Orgill – Managing Director, Prospect Homes
- David Taylor – Executive Director of Operations, Midland Heart
- Mark Patchitt – Development Director, GreenSquareAccord
Every appointment was made from the first shortlisted candidates presented to the client, delivering 100% first-time fill rate across the Committee.
The Impact
The newly established Committee has significantly strengthened Great Places' governance capability by bringing together diverse commercial, operational and housing expertise. It has broadened perspectives around the Board table, increased representation within a traditionally underrepresented governance area and created a governance forum capable of balancing commercial growth with social purpose.
Today, the Growth Committee plays a central role in shaping Great Places' regeneration programme, development ambitions and long-term asset investment strategy, providing the organisation with the strategic oversight required to support its continued growth and reinforce its position as one of the North's leading housing providers.
Client Testimonial
"Establishing our new Growth Committee was a strategically important milestone for Great Places. We weren't simply appointing individual committee members; we were creating a governance forum that would play a critical role in shaping our future approach to development, regeneration and long-term investment. It was therefore essential that we partnered with a search firm that understood both the technical requirements of the appointments and the culture and values of our organisation.
"The team at Neemar Search took the time to understand exactly what we were trying to achieve. They challenged our thinking where appropriate, provided valuable market insight and designed a search process that gave us access to an exceptional and diverse range of candidates from both within and beyond the housing sector.
"The quality of the shortlist was outstanding. Every candidate brought genuine credibility and strategic value, giving us confidence that we were appointing individuals who would strengthen the Committee for the long term. We were particularly pleased with the diversity of the candidate pool and the breadth of perspectives that Neemar brought to the process. The appointments have exceeded our expectations. The Committee has quickly established itself as an important part of our governance structure, bringing commercial insight, constructive challenge and strategic oversight at a critical point in Great Places' journey.
"I would highly recommend the Neemar Search team. They are a trusted partner who genuinely understand governance recruitment and consistently deliver appointments that create long-term value for organisations."
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