The Housing Community Summit

We’re delighted that our CEO and Founder, James Batchelor MBE, will be speaking at The Housing Community Summit in Liverpool on the 2nd day of the event – Tuesday 9th September at 10am.

James will be joined by Rachel Crownshaw, Group Managing Director, Communities at Places for People, Kathryn Fox-Rogers, Director of Housing and Customer Services at Sanctuary Group and Jacque Allen, CEO of Your Housing to discuss ‘Preventing Undiscovered Deaths and Increasing Customer Contact‘ and the session will be chaired by Matt Baird of The Social Housing Round Table.

As the population ages, the number of older people and those with higher needs is booming rapidly, and the tragedy of undiscovered deaths could impact every housing provider. More than this, an undiscovered death is far too often the sad end to a lonely and isolated existence. In some cases, they will also represent a life which could have been saved if more regular contact were being made. The panel will share their organisations’ actions to help prevent these by increasing two-way customer contact, and demonstrate how customers, colleagues and organisations benefit from higher levels of engagement.

Meet the Panel

In addition to Rachel Crownshaw’s roles as Vice President of The Institute of Customer Service and Customer Experience Committee Member – Riverside, Rachel’s role at Places for People is Group Managing Director, Communities where she is responsible for the organisation’s affordable housing business. Rachel joined Places for People in April 2023 from GSA, a 26,000-home housing association, where Rachel was Executive Director of Operations, overseeing housing management, customer services, repairs and maintenance, and business change. Prior to its merger with Accord housing association, Rachel was the Executive Director of Customer Experience at Green Square leading customer facing operations and overseeing the merger due diligence and business integration. Within the sector, Rachel has held Non-Executive Board member roles at SHAL and Magna housing associations and Chaired the Governance & Remuneration Committee at the latter. Rachel stepped down from her role at Magna in March 2024 after a 3-year term to allow her to focus on her work at Places for People.

Kathryn Fox-Rogers is the Director of Housing and Customer Services for Sanctuary Group. She is a people-focused leader who is driven by strong core values and thrives on collaborating to develop business strategies and implement plans for transformation and change.

Kathryn has a proven history of delivering results through inclusive practices, clear vision, and fostering high-performance teams.  She has a strong focus on regulatory compliance, ensuring all services adhere to the consumer standards, while leading teams to embrace and deliver the “North Star Strategy.” This strategy is customer-first, regionally focused, and uses digital technology to improve operational efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction, and promote colleague engagement. She is passionate about creating positive, sustainable communities and is continuously striving to improve the customer experience through innovation, collaboration, and a forward-thinking approach to deliver exceptional housing services that benefit both customers and colleagues.

Jacque Allen joined Your Housing Group as Chief Operating Officer in March 2020. She was appointed as Deputy CEO in early 2021 and became our Interim Chief Executive in July 2022. Just a month later, Jacque successfully became our permanent CEO.

She is a qualified housing professional having worked in the social housing sector for more than 30 years and is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Housing. Jacque studied in Strategic Management and has held various leadership roles across the sector making her the ideal person to head our Executive Leadership Team and #TeamYHG.

At home, Jacque enjoys spending time with her three sons, walking her dogs and enjoying various equestrian pursuits.

Matt Baird, Founder of the Social Housing Round Table has specialised in recruiting for and supporting the Social Housing sector across the UK for many organisations. Aiding registered social landlords, local authorities, charities, developers and investment businesses, Matt has always understood the importance of the relationship between social purpose and commerciality.

Supporting businesses aiding the homeless, the elderly, young people leaving care, anyone with mental health needs or learning difficulties, Matt genuinely cares about the businesses he supports because of the value they give back. From front-line customer service, maintenance and teams of assistants through to Heads and Directors of Services, Project Managers and niche specialisms, Matt will ensure he delivers on what individual client’s needs are at every turn.

James Batchelor MBE, CEO and Founder of Alertacall, is a serial entrepreneur and has dedicated the last two decades to using technology and a specially trained, friendly team to help housing providers have better two-way contact with older people. The company’s first ever customer was James’ own gran, Eveline, and today tens of thousands of customers use Alertacall’s products to keep them safe, connected and informed every day. James has recently been awarded an MBE for Services to Technology For Older People, recognition for his commitment and tireless campaigning to improve the lives of vulnerable people, reducing isolation and loneliness. He is also a big believer in sustainability and Alertacall has planted tens of thousands of trees in the Lake District, where the company is headquartered.

Click here to book your ticket to The Housing Community Summit.

James Batchelor MBE will also be joining Matt Baird on Thursday 18th September at 11am for a special virtual session of The Social Housing Round Table to reflect on the CIH Housing Community Summit and the important topics discussed at the event including the above on ‘Preventing Undiscovered Deaths and Increasing Customer Contact‘.