You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Gemma Burton-ConnollyWhy we appointed a 24-year-old board member
Yarlington Housing Group last month announced it appointed Jimmy Overill to its board, one of the youngest board members in the sector. Gemma Burton-Connolly explains why they went for youth
Inside Housing’s Inclusive Futures campaign aims to promote diversity and inclusion among housing’s leadership teams
A recent study by the Institute of Fiscal Studies has shown that 40% of young people cannot afford the cheapest home in their local area so it was vital that their needs were heard and addressed first-hand.
In October this year, we launched an incredibly exciting opportunity for a person under the age of 30 and a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) to apply to join our board as a co-optee.
Young people are the leaders of our future and should be given a seat at the table, so as a business we can continue to evolve and develop to meet the changing needs of our customer base.
“We are passionate about innovation, challenging the norms and giving younger staff members a platform to reach their potential.”
We partnered with the CIH Futures to promote this opportunity given their aligned thinking about assisting young people with the opportunities to grow and develop their careers.
READ MORE
Last week we were delighted to announce the appointment of Jimmy Overill, a 24-year-old development officer at Plus Dane Housing.
Jimmy is an incredibly passionate young man who has a lot to share about housing issues. Through his time at Yarlington, Jimmy will be given guidance, mentoring and a developmental training programme to kick-start his non-executive director career.
We cannot wait to see what Jimmy brings to the board and will continue to champion the next generation of non-executive directors.
Gemma Burton-Connolly, head of governance and legal, Yarlington Housing Group
Jimmy Overill explains why he joined Yarlington’s board
Jimmy Overill, Yarlington Housing Group’s new co-optee to the board, explains why he chose to apply for the position and what he hopes to bring to the group:
"My interest in a board position was first sparked during my time on the GEM Programme (a graduate training scheme) where a governance module required us to do a mock board meeting assessment. I really enjoyed the opportunity to be able to discuss and debate key issues with other professionals to create solutions to positively impact an organisation.
"My application also came from my love of housing. Although I actively sought a career in Development, I’m determined not to fall victim to silo working. Development can sometimes be guilty of finishing a project and letting the rest of the business create ‘homes’.
I just don’t believe that’s all we’re here for.
"In my Yarlington board position, I want to develop my ability to think strategically and understand what it takes to create and sustain a successful, collaborative organisation. I also want to explore how the sector can perform better as a whole. The early signs are showing that there isn’t a better place than Yarlington to help me achieve this.
"I’m determined not to fall victim to silo working”
"In my position I plan on bringing bags of passion for the housing sector and a fresh, younger perspective. I’ve already presented Yarlington with my views around society’s obsession with home ownership and what I believe is the driver behind younger people renting for longer.
"This was received openly by Yarlington and we sparked a good debate so immediately, I knew Yarlington and I were about to embark on a fruitful learning relationship.
"Yarlington have stepped out and presented an amazing opportunity for young people to gain experience and bring new ideas to the table. I
"It would be easy to suggest organisations need to do more to encourage young people’s representation on their board, but i think it should be two-way.
“Young people in the sector should be asking for shadowing opportunities or other forms of exposure to this setting. We’re brilliantly articulate, passionate and have new ideas that can genuinely influence housing and services; we just need the confidence to show that young people have the answers
Inclusive Futures
Inside Housing’s Inclusive Futures campaign aims to promote and celebrate diversity and inclusion.
We are pledging to publish diversity audits of our own coverage.
We are also committed to proactively promoting positive role models.
We will do this through the pages of Inside Housing. But we will also seek to support other publications and events organisations to be more inclusive.
Our Inclusive Futures Bureau will provide a database of speakers and commentators from all backgrounds, for use by all media organisations.
We are also challenging readers to take five clear steps to promote diversity, informed by the Chartered Institute of Housing’s diversity commission and the Leadership 2025 project.
