Horton Housing is led by a senior management team. They are:
- Chief Executive Officer, Gudrun Carlisle
- Services Director, Sue Atkinson
- Services Director, Ann Kendall
- Housing Director, Liz O’Connor
- Finance Director, David Heels.
Chief Executive Officer – Gudrun Carlisle
Gudrun has worked for Horton Housing since 2000. Gudrun joined the Association as a support worker and went on to develop and manage several of the Association’s services.
Gudrun joined the Senior Management Team, as Services Director, in 2013, overseeing services in Calderdale, Kirklees and North Yorkshire, as well as some central services. Gudrun was appointed as CEO in 2024.
Gudrun continues to promote good practice and high standards of quality throughout the organisation and in the wider housing sector. Gudrun’s area of specialist interest is the vital role housing has in supporting independence for people, believing everyone has the right to a safe, secure home, a base from which they can grow and fulfil their potential.
Gudrun is also a Board Trustee for Harrogate Neighbours Housing Association, providing accommodation and support for older people.
Services Director – Sue Atkinson
Sue has worked for Horton Housing since 2002 and was appointed as Horton
Housing’s Services Director in 2015. Sue oversees schemes in Bradford.
She also spent some time with Bradford Council as an NVQ Assessor and
Internal Verifier for candidates completing their NVQ awards in Health and
Social Care, and managed the Assisi housing project in Bradford.
She is passionate about client involvement and one of her priorities is to
bring different services together to share good practice and ideas and to
actively engage clients with the development of services.
Services Director – Ann Kendall
Ann has worked in different management roles in the organisation since 2013. She was appointed as a Services Director in 2023 overseeing schemes in Calderdale, Kirklees and North Yorkshire.
Ann is passionate about Horton adopting a Strengths-Based approach, developing trauma-informed practices and creating safe spaces for people.
She has worked in the housing and homelessness sector for more than 25 years and for the majority of her career has worked one-to-one with people, focussing on their ambitions and what they would like to achieve. She has an MA in Social Policy and her thesis focussed on housing and homelessness.
Ann is also a Board Trustee for The Booth Centre, a community centre run with people experiencing homelessness in Manchester.
Housing Director – Liz O’Connor
A 30 year career in regeneration and housing, I see my move to Horton Housing as a strategic step to leverage my expertise. In my previous roles as Director of Homes, Assistant Director of Property Care and Head of Repairs at other large organisations has equipped me with deep understanding of the housing sector, from strategic oversight to the intricacies of repairs and maintenance and customer involvement.
Being in these positions has not only honed my leadership skills but fostered a commitment to enhancing living standards and increasing customer satisfaction. These experiences are directly transferable to my new role at Horton, where I feel I can make an impact in delivering an excellent customer service. The decision to join Horton is driven by the organisation’s ethos in providing high quality housing and support services.
Horton’s mission aligns with my professional values and aspiration to contribute to a society where everyone has access to affordable and decent housing. I feel that Horton’s culture where my skills can thrive. Horton’s significant community footprint across various regions presents an opportunity to influence housing policy in this area of the sector. My choice to work at Horton reflects a desire to lead in my area of expertise and align with my own career path, sharing a dedication to improving lives through quality housing and services.
Finance Director – David Heels
David Heels joined Horton Housing in 2013. He holds specific responsibility for Finance across the organisation and became Finance Director in November 2020.
David is a Chartered Accountant by training and also holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.
Following his training as an Accountant and a period working in the chemicals industry, he joined the housing sector in 2000. He also joined the sector’s regulator at the time, the Housing Corporation, and was influential in developing the regulator’s approach to the financial regulation and monitoring of the sector.