Engaging Campbell Tickell’s services

Campbell Tickell supported Women’s Aid Federation of England with a review of governance and board effectiveness. Radojka and the team were hugely knowledgeable, insightful and challenging in the most constructive way. I would happily work with them again.

We had excellent support from the CT team in recruiting our new Director of Finance & People Services. Good quality advice and insights during the whole process, generating a strong field of candidates and led to a great appointment. 10/10.

The support from Jim Green was invaluable. The guidance for the final shape of the process we used for recruitment worked so well that we have decided to adopt it as our default approach for the future. Having the additional resource to undertake the screening interviews after long listing – including the targeted question suggestions from our internal panel – felt like an extension of our own capacity rather than external consultancy. As a small organisation, Jim was already very aware of the particular nuances of our operating context – as well as bringing the wider understanding from Campbell Tickell of our values and mission.

I have been impressed by the support provided by the CT team in our recent executive recruitment. They listened keenly to our brief and aspirations, and worked tirelessly to fulfil our needs: a job very well done. Thank you.

CT produced an excellent report, which provided a strong and ambitious strategic reference point for us going forward. This included short-term wins, as well as recommendations for long-term and sustainable change to the council.

We engaged Glenn Allum of Campbell Tickell to assist in the integration of 500+ properties being acquired from another RP. Glenn was a real asset to our project team, providing invaluable guidance, technical knowhow, and overarching project management skills. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Glenn and feedback from colleagues involved in the project echo this sentiment. I would not hesitate in recommending CT and Glenn to other providers.

This is an invaluable read for those with corporate responsibility as it brings disparate information about safety and risk into a single view. Essential reading For Board members and Managers in social housing.

‘Could it happen here? The governance of housing health and safety’ provides a pragmatic and readable overview of health and safety responsibilities for housing association boards. It sets out the need for relentless curiosity, the importance of data and the vital role of ‘owning’ organisational culture, alongside case studies, question prompts and an uncomfortable but necessary model of ‘chonic unease’. It is essential reading for housing association board members.

A very professional and effective recruitment service Campbell Tickell know the social housing sector well and this was very evident in the service provided.

Highly professional and friendly approach to the project, which led to an excellent recruitment outcome.

Kelly Shaw was excellent to work with. Sourced good candidates and was very efficient in organising and delivering the process. It took 2 rounds to get the right person and Kelly remained committed and proactive throughout.

CT were extremely consultative – taking time to really understand what we wanted, and the importance of our values being demonstrated in the candidates put forward. It was a pleasure working with them.

Thoroughly enjoyed working with Gera at Campbell Tickell – made the recruitment process very easy to navigate with a good outcome at the end. Her experience in the sector ensured we had a good pool of candidates which we would not have achieved had we decided to recruit ourselves. Looking forward to working with them again.

Just wanted to thank all at Campbell Tickell for a superb job of evaluating our options as a small specialist RP, managed entirely by volunteers, and helping us to identify the perfect partner. You then guided us through the negotiations and legal/financial due diligence process with patience and understanding so that we were able to complete our transfer of engagements exactly on schedule. Your whole team was a delight to work with.

Campbell Tickell provided RHP with valuable support as we prepared for our IDA. They helped build the confidence of all those involved by assisting us to set out the RHP narrative in a clear and transparent way that delivered the assurance that the regulator was seeking. We were of course delighted to retain our G1/V1.

Campbell Tickell was commissioned by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Homelessness Taskforce to carry out an action research project into our Housing First pilot, which is one of three national Housing First pilots in England. Our main aim was to identify and articulate the learning and insights from the regional pilot to inform local plans for a sustainable approach to Housing First beyond the pilot period. The Campbell Tickell team were really flexible and responsive to the evolving needs of the project and worked closely with the Housing First teams in each of our Local Authorities, as well as with the Housing First Steering Group and Operational Group to deliver a really top class report and a shorter executive summary for wider circulation. The Campbell Tickell team combined a real understanding of the Housing First principles and wider structural housing and homelessness challenges. They more than delivered what we wanted from the research and were great to work with!

The CT/ICSH Building on Success; A financial Roadmap for the AHB sector report, although only published a few weeks ago is already influencing financial discussions and planning in the AHB and government sectors.

The aim of the research was to provide the sector with the key signposts of a strategic financial road map for the AHB sector in Ireland. The report has achieved that aim and sets out key issues to be addressed if the ambitions of government policy and AHB boards to deliver social housing at scale are to be realised. The report was delivered in a tight time frame by CT, it was consultative and rigorous. Consultative in that it included a key cross section of AHBs and rigorous in its deep analysis of current internal financing of AHBs.

This report will be dog eared, widely used in the sector by policy makes and practioners alike.

It’s a great piece of work and will have lots of value both at NEL and within place based partnerships. We’ve had lots of positive feedback from across different partners which is really heartening given how stretched the system is at the moment. I just wanted to say it’s been a delight working with you all, you’ve delivered a well thought out and considered piece of work which will really support us in the developing our strategy for homeless health over the next 12 months.

YMCA DownsLink is a specialist housing association providing 700 units of supported housing for young people. We engaged Campbell Tickell (CT) to support a specific piece of work to evaluate how the organisation was constructing its affordable rent model to ensure regulatory compliance.

We also engaged them to review our rent setting policy to ensure it represented best practice in the sector. CT provided us with highly skilled and knowledgeable people who were flexible and responsive in supporting the organisations requirements. We couldn’t fault the service we got and I would highly recommend them.

Just wanted to say thank you for your hard work on the Specialist Housing Strategic Needs Assessment for BCP Council. The report will help us drive things forward now, really great working with you.

Campbell Tickell completed a thorough review of the Group’s governance arrangements and benchmarked our systems against the new NHF Code of Governance. The team, led by Stephen Bull, offered insightful and sensible suggestions/ advice for improvement, and provided the Board with good assurance through a detailed report and positive presentation.

CultureScan is a unique and impressive organisational development/staff survey tool which is simple to use and has its well thought-out seven pillars of a positive culture and traffic light ranking, it is easy to understand. Additional questions pertinent to your own business can be incorporated and follow-up workshops are invaluable in diving deeper into the issues raised by the survey and validating the results. It gets under the skin to provide a true and accurate picture of the prevailing culture, warts and all. If you want to understand what’s really going on and what people actually think about your organisation, CultureScan will not disappoint. Its insight is priceless.

St Mungos had been through significant changes from 2015-2017: processes, people, policies, trustees. We’d even changed our branding – twice! But when asked the question ‘How has your culture changed?’ we were unable to provide an answer. Campbell Tickell worked with us on a short timeframe on a bespoke package, including questionnaires, focus groups and structured interviews. They involved managers, front line staff, commissioners and other key stakeholders to identify in a clear but meaningful way how much our culture had changed (24% on average). Most importantly CT left us with a tool to measure that change going forward, which we will use every two years. This work not only meant we could demonstrate the positive effects of our changes externally, including to regulators, but also brought together people internally as they realised how much the positive effects of their hard work had impacted on the St Mungo’s culture.

I find CT webinars are always a valuable use of my time. The speakers are knowledgeable, and I gain key facts in a digestible way. They also share direct experience in a way that is very helpful.

‘1000 miles to carbon neutral: First steps on the journey’ webinar was a great opportunity to share both the challenge, approach and first steps.

I’ve been to several events on this topic, this was the best informed and most practically useful I have attended.

Brilliant seminar, excellent speakers identifying and covering the future ground on this exceptionally important and complex issue for housing.

I really appreciated this webinar: excellent speakers and well curated by Campbell Tickell. As an independent coach and mentor, I particularly appreciated it being free of charge.

There is always something new to learn in relation to cyber security. This masterclass made the important link between governance and cyber security and provided a number of important practical steps to take both in terms of prevention and the experience of going through a cyber security breach. Essential for organisations who recognise that it is not just “if” but “when.”

This masterclass was packed full of great insights into how and where to start with cyber security governance; what works well and what doesn’t work so well; I came away buzzing with ideas. The calibre and experience of the presenters was top notch and it was especially powerful to hear a first-hand account of an incident, one that could’ve happened to any of us, and the lessons/new practices that arose out of it. Plenty of time was allowed for questions and reflections, which is essential with such a complex subject. I thoroughly recommend attending future CT events.

The session was extremely informative. Beyond training and awareness is practical, real-life scenarios and examples – of which there were plenty from experienced, knowledgeable individuals.

The interactive nature of being able to ask the panel members questions throughout was very informative as well. Highly recommend.

The announcement of our IDA timetable made us feel a little undercooked. CT responded really quickly, and Hilary Gardner came alongside with a robust well practised approach that helped us get our ducks in a row. Referencing best practice elsewhere in the sector, CT tested our documents, and our presentation and interview technique – all in the nicest possible way. We would use CT again for this – but hopefully not for another four years.

This was a really great webinar on an important topic. Chaired and delivered well and at a great pace, without losing the key messages. The speakers were varied, well informed and the right people for the subject. A large attendance and informative Q & A’s which ran during the event so again, a great use of time. A lot packed into 1h 15mins…More of the same please…

Both our Board and executive team were really impressed by the contribution of Stephen Bull at our recent Board strategy day. Stephen gave a really helpful overview of the National Housing Federation’s new code of governance and focused on the issues that were particularly relevant to us. He engaged well with all our Board members during both the formal and informal parts of the day and we’ve now got a clear action plan linked to this that we’ll be implementing over the next few months.

A timely session and a reminder that we need to think beyond the pandemic. it will not be the habitual way of working.

We were extremely pleased with the process and outcome of our CEO appraisal. It was very insightful! It has been an absolute pleasure working with Campbell Tickell Associate Consultant, Anne McLoughlin throughout, and feedback from colleagues, board and others mirrors this sentiment.

The recommendations of the appraisal have provided finance and governance members with a solid base to set new objectives with our CEO. It has certainly helped us in terms of reviewing and refreshing our internal appraisals for senior management.

Campbell Tickell supported us with a review of our Embedding Excellence action plan, concerning our governance arrangements. With excellent sector knowledge and an expert senior associate consultant, Kathryn Bull, they were also easy to deal with. CT were objective but fair, and certainly did not give Connexus an “easy ride” with their review. They provided us with a genuinely value added service and were excellent value for money. Additionally, they gave excellent assurance to the Board and precisely the service we asked for!

Wokingham Borough Council engaged Campbell Tickell to assist in rent compliance and regulatory work. CT were great and helped us get the right result for Wokingham Borough Council and its tenants. I regard CT as a go-to organisation and would recommend them to other social landlords who have such issues.

Campbell Tickell have been working with Jewish Blind & Disabled to review their governance structure, undertake a skills audit and advise on succession planning. They presented the Trustees with a clear set of recommendations to take forward. Greg and Stephen were professional, knowledgeable and understanding of the sensitivities required when working with a long standing and committed Trustee Board.

I wanted to take this opportunity to express my thanks and appreciation to Niku Mawby and Campbell Tickell for the professional and effective review they carried out earlier this year. The review covered the Council’s governance and relationships with Cornovii Developments Ltd (Shropshire Council’s Local Housing Company). This resulted in an excellent report with helpful and practical recommendations to take forward; supported by a presentation to Members. It has given us confidence in our company structure, and insights into areas to consider further.

The masterclass was a really informative event. The speakers were knowledgeable and thought provoking and the workshop offered positive and practical options to improving approaches to governance and engagement.

I found the masterclass both instructive and thought provoking. I particularly enjoyed the interaction with other delegates during the break out session. The CT team set just the right tone and expertly led us through the key points about the new challenges for Board Effectiveness.

The CT People & Culture Masterclass was a really useful session. The speakers were varied and interesting and it was great to hear some of the thoughts and intentions behind the development of the new 2020 code. Each panellist provided different perspectives and there was opportunity to discuss different ideas about culture; how it is developed and of particular interest, thoughts and practical ideas of how it might be measured. I would definitely recommend attendance for both Board and Exec leads.

Fascinating and challenging discussion which will help us all consider how best to make time for authentic discussions around people and culture, at Board and senior manager level.

The CT Masterclasses are very useful, focused sessions on really relevant topics. Expert input from speakers and excellent discussion with peers.

If you want insight to the new NHF code expectations in bite size chunks, look no further than the CT masterclass sessions. A well organised, well attended and interactive session on People & Culture ensured attendees had the opportunity to join in an interesting and thought provoking discussion, and gave pointers for starting the ‘compliance’ conversation back in the organisation. Would recommend for Board Members, Executives and Company Secretaries a like.

I found the CT Risk and Assurance Masterclass really useful to get under the skin of the new Code of Governance and help me, as Company Secretary, to think through compliance and beyond. Hearing from other providers was valuable as was the question and answer session, both allowing me to reflect on what we currently do and how we could improve.

The Masterclass set out clearly the requirements from the new NHF Governance code and balanced with a reminder of what good risk control and assurance should look like for a Board. It was kept to a good pace and with knowledgeable and practical speakers.

A challenging and informative session with lots of practical advice and useful tips. Well worth the time spent attending and valuable for Board Members and Officers.

Our board is made up of highly experienced members; working with Campbell Tickell using the We. Scan psychometric test gave us an innovative way of looking at the talent we collectively possess. It gave us new insights into what drives our behaviours, and enabled a meaningful conversation on how we get the best from our diverse members. This board development work with Campbell Tickell has given us a strong platform to understand how we can work better as a team and how we will go from achieving good to great governance as a board.

Bringing the housing service back into the Council, after a period of some 10 years where the service was delivered by the East Kent Housing ALMO, was always going to be a big job. With limited corporate memory of the responsibilities attached to being a social landlord, Campbell Tickell were the obvious choice to update senior Officers and elected Members of their respective responsibilities in hearing the tenant’s voice and what good governance looks like in the light of the Housing White Paper. The approach to the training was spot on and Members were fully engaged, receiving informed responses to great questions. I feel reassured that the Council is now far more aware of their responsibilities. I would use CT again.

The CT Masterclass on Board Effectiveness was excellent. Well organised and with good content, there was also really interesting and thought-provoking discussion between delegates. As the SID on Eastlight’s Board, which was formed following a recent merger, I found it particularly relevant.

Really pleased to have attended the Board Effectiveness Masterclass. Time well spent with governance professionals on our biggest challenges and how we can move forward with the aid of the new Code of Governance. Excellent presentations from Tabitha, Aman, Ceri and James and the opportunity to chat to colleagues in Stephen’s break-out session. Looking forward to the next three Masterclasses on Risk & Assurance, People & Culture, and Residents.

The new code is a step change for governance in the sector. This was a really useful session helping board members and executives to consider the implications of the code for them and an opportunity to learn from others.

A most welcome & timely reminder of urban & some rural societies area challenges & trends brought into sharper focus by COVID-19.

The leadership course has been great. Lots of different ways to explore new ideas, and new concepts. I have found it interesting to reflect on my own ways of working, and how I work with others in teams and as individuals. The online sessions have been well structured using interesting techniques, such as meditation and breathing exercises to ensure that people feel that they are working together whilst being home based.

I was pleasantly surprised as to how much this course changed my perspective of what good leadership is and more importantly what it can be. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of self reflection and growth in a supportive group within the fun and interactive format.  The course was managed brilliantly online and I shall definitely be taking forward with what we learned with my colleagues and continue the momentum.  Many thanks to the awesome trainers who put the course together. 

It has really helped me on a deep personal journey which will benefit me in both my personal and professional life going forward. It has completely exceeded my expectations and I have gained so much more from it than I thought I would. Such a brilliant course.

The support was there even though we couldn’t be face to face; kept everyone engaged throughout each session.

The trainers were outstanding; the whole delivery was brilliant; the delivery was very clear.

Your knowledge of the sector and of the potential candidates experience, made finding excellent people for the shortlist very easy.

Campbell Tickell approached our recruitment project with a clear understanding of our requirements and were responsive in devising a successful recruitment programme to suit our needs.

Campbell Tickell understood immediately what we were looking for in the recruitment of a Managing Director and were able to source suitable candidates. They were also able to work within the budgets we had available and were flexible during a challenging time (lockdown).

In the midst of the pandemic, the project delivered by Campbell Tickell was innovative, professional and timely. The project was managed extremely well and gave us the confidence to progress when the easy option would have been to delay.

Thank you Campbell Tickell for organising an excellent webinar on how to effectively engage with our customers. Your knowledge of our sector combined with your well respected reputation enabled you to attract an appropriate range of relevant and informed speakers. We will certainly be using the recording of the webinar as part of our training for staff.

Campbell Tickell worked very closely with NHS England and Improvement, and the Integrated Commissioning System (ICS) to develop a housing needs assessment. This will be invaluable in meeting the needs of people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health conditions in the four local authorities.

The level of detail and range of data sets, which were brought together from a housing, social care, and health perspective, have provided an evidenced based projection of future housing need amongst this population. This is so often overlooked in strategic housing plans.

The housing needs assessment provides the ICS with an amazing opportunity to strategically work with housing colleagues to meet the housing needs identified for the next 10 years.

I thought I should just drop you a line to say how successful the recent recruitment process has been.
We have now appointed two NEDs as a result of this recruitment and they are already making a significant and valuable contribution to Board and other discussions across a wide range of issues.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with Campbell Tickell on developing a ‘Best in Class’ Housing Offer for Broadland and South Norfolk District Councils. CT engaged positively and entirely within the spirit of the brief.

The operating model CT created to help tackle homelessness and provide high quality temporary accommodation will shape the housing agenda and improve the lives of our most vulnerable clients in the area. We are really excited to proceed, hopefully with full support of both our councils, to implement this model.

I thought the CT Regulatory Returns Masterclass was all very useful and gives me a good tool to go back into the business to ‘beef’ things up.

Our board and senior team has received excellent advice, insights and steers on a few pieces of important work recently. The candid and constructive approach from CT consultants challenged our thinking and supported much better business outcomes than otherwise I think we would have achieved. It has all helped progress our business and added value when and where we needed it. Much appreciated.

Stephen Bull heard and understood our requirements and delivered the project in such a way as to add value to the business.

I was hesitant about booking for ‘the art of the online chair’ masterclass with James Tickell and Tracey McEachran. Whilst I recognised the difference in approach that online chairing required, I was unsure what it would be like attending an online course.

I was really surprised how easy and rewarding I found this online experience. I am acutely aware that it all depends on whose leading the course and how comfortable and confident they are with the virtual world, and as course leaders. I learnt so many tips and tricks, as well and gained confidence in my own capability in the online world space. I enjoyed meeting others in virtual space and sharing experiences from across the UK.

Tracey and James are excellent course leaders and undertake their roles with super style, great engagement and demonstrate their deep experience and insight. It has made a difference to me and Pobl Group!

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you Niku and Campbell Tickell for making our virtual board training session so successful. The board training event was for a new board which had recently been recruited for Shropshire Council Housing Company. The recruitment and the training took place during the Covid crisis and was the first virtual training session many of the board members have taken part in. The event was organised fantastically well, the pre-planning, the exercises and feedback session. Niku was a great trainer and pulled the board together successfully in difficult circumstances. Our entire group had a wonderful time and the session bought the board together.

Thank you for an excellent initiative, which was well run and expertly facilitated. It gave a timely opportunity for the Board to consider the post-Covid environment and feed into our strategic planning process. I would thoroughly recommend CT’s scenario planning exercise.

PA has deployed the specialist services provided by Campbell Tickell in a range of business areas. Their experts have enabled us to enhance our activities in a faster, professional and cost-effective manner to complement the work performed by my colleagues. I would have no hesitation in recommending Campbell Tickell to other organisations.

What we discovered was that there was no such thing as too much communication. It was communication, communication, communication.

In that regard, the WhatsApp Group Campbell Tickell set up was really, really useful. It gave chief execs a safe space to offload, to ask questions, to check what other people were doing, to sense-check, to check stuff. It was really helpful, and I’d like to carry that sort of forum forward.

I think actually it accelerated decision-making in the sector and helped us make better decisions more quickly.

Personally, I left the session armed with some extremely useful techniques, tailored for the virtual meeting environment, which I will incorporate in the forthcoming round of Board discussions.

Excellent session, thanks to Tracey and James.

Hilary Gardner was focused and professional and was instrumental in moving the project forward, keeping it on track and maintaining a critical friend role throughout. Support from Sue Harvey was also invaluable.

Campbell Tickell worked with us over a number of months to develop our Strategic Plan 2020-2022. Kathleen McKillion and Nicola McCrudden expertly guided us through the process, getting to know HAIL and what we were about. Liaising with a lot of stakeholders and ensuring everyone was heard and reflected in the plan is not an easy task but I really believe that we have that in our final document.
Both were very professional and easy to work with. Big thanks to all the team!

SPEAR engaged Campbell Tickell to lead on the recruitment of a new Chief Executive recently. From the start CT showed a clear understanding of what Trustees and the charity needed from a new CE and they carried out a professional and wide ranging search to attract a strong field of candidates. CT supported SPEAR throughout with clear guidance, analysis and assistance through responsive and prompt action and ensured the best possible outcome for the charity. We now look forward to our new CE arriving in May.

It has been a pleasure to work with Campbell Tickell on our recent GDPR project for Soha. You have made a huge, practical difference to our compliance, processes and understanding of GDPR issues.

Radius was developing a funding strategy, with implications for our tenants and future business.
Under the expert facilitation of Campbell Tickell, we risk assessed our operating environment, business opportunities and investment priorities, culminating in a plan to take us forward over the next 5 years. Their practical insight into the challenges of the UK social housing sector enabled our Board to guide discussions towards a tangible and coherent action plan.

We’d like to give a big thanks to Campbell Tickell for their support in our preparation for the Regulator of Social Housing’s IDA. Sue and her team engaged with the Board and executive team to maximise the benefits beyond regulatory performance and to rehearse the key interviewees.

During our IDA we received really positive feedback, particularly around our documentation. The ‘top tips’ summary sheets for each topic and the briefing notes that we prepared with CT’s support were very effective. And we were in a confident position following the interview preparations, which stood us in excellent stead for the real thing!

Excellent engagement and high quality challenge, providing great insights as well as a very useful and thorough review of the fundamentals. A real value adding service as well as being good Value For Money.

CT were easy to work with. The process was good and we had a good range of candidates.

One Housing was going through a period of change and transformation. At the start of the process we wanted to gain some good intelligence about our people – their values and their views of us. We worked with Campbell Tickell to carry out a CultureScan.

The work gave us vital insights into how the organisation really works – as opposed to how we thought it did. It highlighted real strengths for us to work with; for example that many staff valued and recognised our commitment to diversity and this was a key part of their work experience. But we also found challenges – our commitment to empowering front-line managers, for example, was not a reality to many, who felt decision making was slow. The scan gave us a better sense of our overall culture, and also identified the pockets where local cultures were different. Perhaps most importantly, it gave us a strong sense of what we need to do to create the vibrant, focused, fun culture that we aim for.

Extremely accessible team who provide a high support high challenge approach to their work. Extremely knowledgeable about their field of work inspiring confidence with their recommendations

High quality work, lots of engagement throughout the project. very knowledgeable, and very good meeting facilitation. All work completed to time and to a good standard.

I would like to thank Campbell Tickell for their help and support during the recruitment of a new Chief Executive. From the initial reply, to our tender invitation, it was clear that CT’s attention to detail; searching out our needs and the support to the senior members of the board to refine their thinking; made all the difference to the final outcome. The innovative approach employed to involve the full board has been commented on and the final agreement by them made the selection of the best candidate a relatively simple matter. The list of potential applicants was wide and varied and gave us the opportunity to test the market and line up a new CEO to fit our needs in the next stage of our development. It was gratifying to note that the panels of Trustees and CT’s own interviews brought out the same results. This gave the board a measure of confidence added to their own thoughts in the final analysis. The whole process was designed to involve as many of the board as wished to take part, with the final selection of the last 3 being attended by the full board. This gave the necessary buy-in by the board and was handled in an innovative way with presentations from the candidates. I would have no problem in recommending Campbell Tickell for recruitment or other work in our space, you seem to have a great and detailed understanding of the needs of our sector.

Campbell Tickell provided excellent support as our Senior Team developed and refined our latest business model facilitated by BRIXX. Our Board wanted to ensure that this year’s business planning cycle included rigorous stress testing of a wide range of scenarios and that Board members fully understood the combination of risks that combined to create our perfect storm. Campbell Tickell’s enabling work facilitated the Board as they identified and reviewed our key risks and their impact. This enabled the Board to challenge senior management effectively on the Association’s mitigation plans.

We secured development funding through the Life Chances Fund to develop three Social Impact Bonds. We commissioned Campbell Tickell to help conduct research and support the development of a business case for full applications to the Life Chances Fund. I found CT to be professional, knowledgeable and accommodating. Their support and work has resulted in us making two full applications to the Life Chances Fund. I would recommend CT. Liz and Shaun were brilliant.

We commissioned Campbell Tickell to advise and support the development of our current ambitious and forward-looking Housing Strategy, ‘Building Together for a Strong Future’. We found that the team had a range of expertise and skills sets which were used to good effect over the course of the project. Our experience of Campbell Tickell was that they worked well in conjunction with council officers as part of a rounded and interactive project team. With support and advice from Campbell Tickell we now have an adopted Housing Strategy that reflects the council’s ambitions for the future.

The Good to Great Governance programme overall has been excellent. The delivery has been of high quality and I like the accessibility of the webinar format. As a new charity, the programme had been valuable in ensuring we are set things up correctly and are doing the right things. It has clarified the role of board members and the executive, and develops confidence to remind board members of their responsibilities. The supa-regional event facilitated some helpful conversations and reinforced some of the skills, knowledge and experience we needed to consider when recruiting new members of our board. It was very timely as a result.

In preparation for the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act and our Early Adopter Homelessness Prevention Trailblazer pilot (funded by the CLG), we commissioned Campbell Tickell to undertake a review of our homeless hostels for single people and temporary accommodation for homeless families, with a view to make best use of limited resources. Liz Zacharias and Karen Patten conducted the review sensitively and professionally and gave us well thought-out options for improving the pathway for homeless people in Southwark. They listened to us and understood the range of stakeholder requirements. They delivered a first class report and platform for going forward.

Following a governance review three years ago we appointed Campbell Tickell to undertake a Board effectiveness review to give us a sense check about our progress and to see how we could continue to improve having undergone some renewal on the Board. Greg Campbell and Rosie Chapman led the review in a thoughtful way reflecting the complexity of Nacro with businesses operating in different markets, with a variety of funders and regulators. The review supported our strategic away day and gave us helpful direction for improvements in governance as we embark on the review of our Corporate Strategy. I would recommend Greg and Rosie.

We engaged Campbell Tickell to undertake some facilitation and review work with our Board of Management. This work included interviewing all Board members, and then facilitating a Board workshop on effective modern governance within a bilingual work environment, which resulted in the delivery of a clear outcome report with recommendations on Board member recruitment and training, Board agenda structure and a refocus on strategic issues and emerging sector risks.

This work was delivered on time and within budget, and assisted the Board and the Executive Team in reviewing the strategic governance and accountability of this large scale stock transfer association at a pivotal point at the end of its first five years. We definitely gained from the experience which James and his team brought to the workshop, and their honest and challenging approach was effective in moving the Association’s governance thinking forward.

I have been to many presentations on VFM over the last few years, but yesterday’s session from Campbell Tickell was head and shoulders above the rest. The feedback I have had from PlaceShapers’ members bore this out. The Guide they have produced for us was a great piece of work which is already becoming essential reading for associations who want to move up a gear on their VFM journey.

I have had a good read of the report this afternoon and just wanted to say I think it is really great. I have also looked at the management agreement and it’s great too. This really gives me what I need – a robust overview of where we are at, with key risks highlighted, all of which you have pulled together very promptly. Thank you very much for what is an excellent report.

Thank you so much Jon for facilitating our Board away-day. I feel that I have a better understanding of what our board needs are and where we see CCH going. Everyone enjoyed the day. The follow up notes were really helpful and we are looking forward to utilising them as the basis of our new business plan.