New GCH committees will strengthen the customer voice
New committees reporting directly to the Board of Gloucester City Homes (GCH) will ensure the customer voice is strengthened. Following a recent recruitment campaign, four new committee members have joined the newly formed Customer Experience and Homes & Communities Committees. They join two GCH customers who already sit on the Board, made of up 12 non-executive directors who bring independence, impartiality and a breadth of experience and specialist knowledge to the organisation.
The new recruits are:
Marina Sendall – Customer Experience Committee Member
Marina lives in Matson and has been a customer of GCH for 7 years. She works for Gloucestershire County Council in business administration. She said: “I take part in a lot of community projects and I love helping communities come together. I hope I can bridge the gap between tenants and GCH and help people who maybe haven’t found their voice. I am also looking forward to learning lots.”
Matthew Bolton – Customer Experience Committee Member
Matthew has been a shared owner and tenant of GCH for 4 years. His career in retail and hospitality has seen him manage pubs, restaurants and other large hospitality areas. He commented: “During lockdown, my experience as a carer reminded me of my childhood growing up in social housing. It’s inspired me to get involved in my own community and help GCH to ensure it provides the great service that everyone deserves.”
Sarah O’Donnell – Homes and Communities Committee Member
Sarah is Organisational Director at GL4, a community interest company based in Matson, which organises live events, youth participation and community engagement for people of all ages. She said: “I’ve been a customer of GCH since it began. At GL4 I speak to a lot of people who are GCH tenants and through those conversations I can get a better understanding of what people’s frustrations are and get tenants’ voices heard.”
Nilesh Bhudia-Luke – Customer Experience Committee Member (Co-opted)
Nilesh is a Senior Customer Service Manager at Sero, delivering services to enable the decarbonisation of homes, using a mix of smart energy management and renewable technologies. He said: “Speaking with customers and team members, it was obvious there was a real desire and culture to make a difference and provide a best-in-class customer experience. I’m thrilled to be joining GCH and hope to bring my experience and passion to help shape the future strategy of customer experience.”
"At GCH we are committed to strengthening the ways in which customers influence what we do and the decisions we make. In these challenging times, it is more important than ever for us to understand the diverse needs and aspirations of customers and what really matters to them. I’m excited about the influence that Marina, Matthew, Sarah and Nilesh will bring to our decision making as we learn from their experience.”