Southway Housing Committee members

Shefali is a member of the Parent Board, Chair of the People & Places committee and Chair of the Remuneration committee. She is Head of Neighbourhoods at Manchester City Council.

Shefali has 17 years’ experience in local government, across a wide range of disciplines including project management, stakeholder and relationship management and working with communities to deliver positive change in places where they live.

As Head of Neighbourhoods for MCC, Shefali leads a large team responsible for delivering local priorities. 

Shefali is also Chair of governors at a Manchester primary school and volunteers as a coach as part of the Pankhurst Centre’s Queen Bee Coaching Programme.

David is a tenant member of the Parent Board and The People and Places Committee. He has been a Southway tenant for over 5 years.

David became a board member because he wanted to use his voice to affect real positive change for his community. His background is in Finance and Performance Management, and he has also worked as a Carer and is part qualified as a Counsellor.

In recent times he has offered voluntary support to those suffering from addiction issues and, for his personal development, he is completing a master’s qualification. David wants to use his experience to help steer Southway’s strategic objectives towards building thriving local communities whilst meeting low carbon objectives and retaining a healthy financial structure.

Dave has been a member of People & Places committee since September 2021. He is a Labour Councillor for the Chorlton Park Ward, which is one of our core areas.

He has lot of dealings with tenants about Southway core services, so is well placed to use this experience when scrutinising Southway performance and policies.

He also works with local community groups which are supported by Southway.

Karlet is a new tenant member of the People and Places Committee.

With over 25 years practical hands-on experience in youth work and community work, Karlet has developed not only strong communication skills, but also a working relationship with a range of agencies. She has proven experience with coordinating projects for young people in both vulnerable and ethnic groups.

Councillor Azra Ali is a substance misuse and recovery practitioner and has first-hand experience of being a tenant in a housing association property. 

Azra was elected as a Manchester City Councillor for Burnage Ward in May 2014 and serves on the Equalities and Communities Scrutiny Committee. 

Azra is a governor at Burnage Academy for Boys, is a trustee on Burnage Foodbank and also sits as the Manchester City Councillor board member at the Halle Concert Society. At the Halle, Azra has worked hard to improve audience diversity. 

Azra has worked within the substance misuse field for over 20 years, this gives Azra a unique insight into the issues of alcohol, drugs, domestic abuse and the need for holistic care, for better partnership working and has used her experience to support local residents and their families. 

In joining the People and Places Committee she hopes to act as a bridge between tenants and Southway.

Faisal became a Parent Board Director in September 2023. He is also a member of the Remuneration Committee and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.

He joined the Board having previously served as Vice-Chair for a housing association in East London.

Faisal is a Senior Manager working for a registered provider operating at a national level, where he has been a part of the leadership team since 2021. He has substantial experience in public, private and regulatory bodies. He brings significant experience in operational compliance, investment, and audit.

Gavin is a Member of the Parent Board and the Audit and Risk Committee. He joined Southway in September 2018.

Gavin is a Labour Councillor for Old Moat, one of Southway’s core areas. His engagement with residents has given him an in depth understanding of the local housing and community issues affecting our tenants. 

His experience in the charity sector and local government has allowed him to develop skills in governance, scrutiny and policy development.  Gavin has lived in the Old Moat area for over 20 years and is active with local groups such as Friends of Old Moat Park, Withington Civic Society and Old Moat Primary School.

Mark is a new member of the Audit & Risk Committee. He is a qualified accountant with experience of public sector auditing and PFI experience.

For the last 15 years Mark has worked for Balfour Beatty plc in a variety of finance roles. For the last 5 years, he has performed the role of Finance Director and is currently responsible for the Regional Civil Engineering business unit across England & Wales. He resides in Stockport with his wife and 2 children.

Derek is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and is particularly pleased to be supporting Southway Housing having been brought up in Northenden, attended High School in East Didsbury and worked most of his career in the South Manchester area.

He has been engaged in the built environment industry since 1978 starting as a Trainee Quantity Surveyor. He held Director roles in Contracting and Private Practice and has in-depth experience in working in the affordable and market sales housing sector with Housing Associations including new build, refurbishment & regeneration projects.

Since recently retiring from his businesses, he has focused on his corporate Governance roles, joining Southway Housing in 2023, in addition to being main Board Chair of Cornovii Developments (company wholly owned by Shropshire Council) since 2020 and more recently, a Trustee/Director at “The End of Life Partnership” Charity. 

Graham joined Southway in February 2024. He has extensive internal audit and risk management experience and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. Graham has devoted his career to working in the public sector and before training as an accountant he worked in public-facing roles within the civil service for 10 years.

He is currently Head of Audit, Risk and Assurance for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the body that regulates and administers the business costs and decides the pay and pensions of MPs and their staff in the UK. Graham’s previous roles have included being Head of Internal Audit for NHS Business Services Authority, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and NHS Blood and Transplant.

Graham is passionate about public services and the role that social housing can play in creating safe, secure and sustainable environments where everyone can thrive.