Tom Murtha, a leading, well respected social housing figure, has been appointed to the board of West Midlands-based housing association Nehemiah Housing as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Nationally recognised as a key figure person in the drive for sector diversity, Tom was a founding member of SHOUT, the campaign for the promotion of social housing. Tom retired in 2012 as Chief Executive of Midland Heart, one of the biggest housing and care organisations in the UK and has provided his services as a Chair and Non-Executive on a number of housing and care boards to the present day. Awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 2009 by the University of Birmingham for his leadership in the housing and care sector, in 2018 he received a Lifetime Award for his work in housing and on diversity.
"We are honoured to have him on our Board to help strengthen our governance and assist in the shaping of our future growth strategy. As a long-standing champion for social housing, his passion for diversity, inspirational leadership skills, strong community values and business acumen gained over 40 years in this sector will be invaluable to Nehemiah as we continue our mission to build homes and communities,"
says Llewellyn Graham, Chief Executive of Nehemiah Housing.
"It is impressive how far the organisation has come over the past three decades - starting life in 1989 as Nehemiah before merging with the United Churches Housing Association in 2017, and then rebranding in 2018 as Nehemiah Housing - and now has a portfolio of over 1,200 homes across the West Midlands,"
comments Tom.
"I like that Nehemiah Housing is about so much more than simply providing homes for individuals and families. They support residents and local communities and are involved in regeneration projects and heavily encourage enterprise to improve the local economy - and this is something I am passionate about, together with diversity in social housing.
"It's a nice bonus to join the association in 2019 too, as it celebrates its 30th anniversary with a series of celebratory events across the West Midlands!"
Nehemiah Chair Wilton Powell adds:
"As we celebrate our big birthday this year, we are excited for all we can achieve in the next 30 years - and feel confident that, with Tom on our board, we can continue to grow as an association and improve the services and housing we offer to both individuals and families across the West Midlands."
To find out more about Nehemiah Housing, visit www.nehemiah.co.uk