Mike Gatrell - Chief Executive
Mike has been the Chief Executive for South Essex Homes since its launch back in October 2005.
Mike’s whole career has been in social housing and he is proud of the positive difference his team has been able to make to resident’s homes and lives since he began working in Southend. In particular, he is especially delighted at the way tenants and residents now play such a major part in deciding what the priorities are for their housing service, compared to the position when he first started working at the Council.
Mike says: “Continuing to provide the best services for the tenants and residents of Southend is the motivation for me and the whole South Essex Homes team. Having grown up living in a Council flat, and having been a Council tenant myself, I know just how much difference the work we do can make to people’s lives.”
Mario Ambrose - Executive Director
Mario had been with South Essex Homes since its inception and has been the Executive Director since 2009.
Before joining the Council in 1992 he worked in the private sector as a Building Services Engineer. His background is in engineering and construction management although he is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
As the Executive Director he is responsible for the housing and property services provided by South Essex Homes on behalf of the Council. In particular he is keen to ensure that residents homes are safe and secure and that the properties South Essex Homes manage for Southend Council comply with all the regulatory requirements and residents have a say in how their homes are managed.
Beverley Gallacher - Director
Beverley is our Director of Commercial Services and has worked for South Essex Homes since its inception in a number of roles.
She now oversees South Essex Property Services ((SEPS) Teckal Company) and South Essex Facility Management ((SEFM) (a section 95 company)) which form part of the overarching South Essex Homes Group. She leads on all services relating to fire door servicing, installations and maintenance both as a commercial offer and as a dedicated in-house team along with other maintenance services including portal appliance testing, window restrictor maintenance and Energy Performance Certifications. In addition, SEPS and SEFM operate business lines including security , waking watch, community patrols alongside cleaning and estate-based services. Finally, SEPS operates a 24-hour Repairs and OOH telephony service for a number of clients within the East of England. Alongside these services Beverley oversees the Careline and Sheltered Housing Service and Estates Services and Contact Centre on behalf of South Essex Homes.
Kevin Hazlewood - Director
Kevin joined the organisation as Assistant Director in February 2021. He brought with him over 40 years’ experience in the construction industry having worked for several Local Authorities, Housing Associations and in the private sector.
He now oversees the maintenance and management of the properties we look after.
Sarah Lander - Director
Sarah has worked for South Essex Homes since the company was formed and has worked as part of several different teams on her way to becoming an Assistant Director back in 2019.
She has previous experience managing teams in Tenancy, Resident Involvement and Corporate Services and now oversees the day to day delivery of our operational services.
Daniel Lyons - Director
Daniel has worked for South Essex Homes since 2006 when he joined our Finance team as a qualified Accountant.
Having worked his way up the company, he joined our Executive Management Team as an Assistant Director in February 2021 and now oversees Finance & Corporate Resources, which ensures our business runs smoothly and monitors the money coming in and out of the company.