The Big Get Together & Annual General Meeting 2025

Sue Sutton has worked in social housing for over 25 years. Her most recent role was Chief Executive of Salix Homes, a social housing provider based in Salford. Sue is due to retire from Salix in the Autumn.

Having grown up in social housing herself, Sue is passionate about tackling social housing stigma, ensuring customers are listened to and have an opportunity to influence and shape the delivery of the highest quality homes and services.

Sue has a wealth of experience in housing management, customer service, property investment, building safety, strategic planning and corporate governance.

Simone brings valuable insight and lived experience as a tenant, ensuring resident voices are central to strategic decision-making at Community Gateway Association.

Brought up in social housing in Preston, she understands the importance of safe, secure homes for families and communities. With over two decades of experience in customer service and complaints resolution across several sectors, including banking, public sector, and housing, she is committed to advocating for tenant engagement, fair policies, and service improvements.

Having lived abroad for several years, she brings a wide-ranging perspective to her role. Holding a Master’s in Religion, Culture, and Society, Simone is passionate about social inclusion, equality, and community cohesion, using her academic background and personal experiences to support fair and inclusive housing policies.

She is keen to represent tenants and ensure their voices are heard at board level.

After more than a decade as a Community Gateway tenant, Pam has many valuable insights to share with the Board. She is particularly keen to represent members of the local community who have disabilities, as she is passionate about equality and diversity.

Pam has lived in various places in the UK and abroad – and has held various job roles including chef and area coordinator for motoring rescue organisation the AA.

She is now delighted to be settled in Preston and playing her part in helping Community Gateway to recognise and consider issues that affect our diverse communities, including quality of life.

Pam is a strong believer in the Gateway Model and values the way we engage tenants in community investment and enhancement. Pam is currently our Board Member Responsible for Complaints – providing board with regular updates on things that aren't working as well as we'd like and helping us learn from the feedback we receive through complaints.

Lisa is an experienced asset, facilities and property management professional, currently working as Director of Estates for a large Northwest Further Education and Higher Education College with over 12,000 students, having worked previously in the housing sector for over 15 years.

Lisa brings a wide range of skills to the Board, not just from her experience in Asset Management in the housing sector but also from over 15 years of working in the Education sector.

She also has considerable experience of customer service, change management, sustainability, carbon reduction and cultural change across different sectors.

Lisa is a Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Chartered Member and has previously served as a Board Member of the CIH Northwest region.

Stuart brings a range of knowledge and skills to the Board through his lived experience as a tenant, his role as an Independent Governance Committee member at South Ribble Borough Council and through over 25 years of business experience.

As a former company owner and director, he has worked in senior positions at various corporate companies covering technical management, strategic development, business development and customer engagement and has specialised in operational efficiencies, continuous improvement and collaborating effectively.

Working with clients across the globe, he has broadened his understanding of cultural perspectives and the need for clear communication.

Stuart values transparency and accountability and wants to build upon the great work that CGA has done with tenants already and ensuring that fairness and good governance are maintained.