Board directors

Chair of Thirteen Board

Jane Earl

Jane Earl

Jane is a board member of VIVID, chair of a housing association, M&G Shared Ownership Limited, and interim chair of Surrey Choices.

Jane works with a number of arts organisations and those providing services to young people and refugees. She is the independent chair of Sunderland Culture, reflecting her upbringing in the North East of England.

Thirteen Board Director and Finance Committee Member

Richard Buckley

Director Richard Buckley

Richard is the managing director of Buckley Burnett, a development consultancy and project management company.

Richard started his career at Ward Hadaway. He became a regional director and ran the development side of Tees Valley Regeneration before setting up Buckley Burnett.

Thirteen Board Director and Chair of Remuneration Committee

Rob Goward

Rob Goward 2

Rob has worked in HR for over 30 years. He was vice president of HR for the Seagram Spirits and Wine Group for 15 years, Global HRD of Smith and Nephew plc and Group HRD of Maxxium Worldwide BV.

He is currently a partner within the Mercer Consulting Group. Rob has an MSc in Politics from London University, an MBA from IMC, and Chartered membership of the CIPD.

Thirteen Board Director, Senior Independent Director, Chair of Development and Investment Committee and Chair of Thirteen Homes Board

Anthony Riley

Anthony Riley

Anthony has worked in housing for 35 years for several local authorities and housing associations.

He's held executive positions leading both development and operational teams.

Thirteen Board Director and Chair of Finance Committee

Andrew Wilson

Andrew Wilson

Andrew has a background in consulting and mergers and acquisitions. He owns and manages a number of his business interests and investments.

He previously worked for the publisher Penguin Random House as finance & commercial director for their distribution business and spent over ten years at Sage Group PLC.

Andrew holds an MEng in Chemical Engineering from Cambridge University.

Thirteen Board Director and Remuneration Committee Member

Chris Newton

Director Chris Newton2web2

Chris is the global head of facilities management at Citi, the American multinational investment bank and financial services corporation.

A chartered surveyor (MRICS) with a degree in quantity surveying, a postgraduate degree in real estate and property management, and an MBA from the University of Durham, Chris is also a member of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management. 

During his career, he has led corporate real estate teams in both retail and banking with the remit for acquisitions, fit-outs, facilities and disposals. 

Thirteen Board Director and Chair of Audit and Risk Committee

Bob Cuffe

Bob Cuffe

A Teessider by birth, Bob spent over 30 years in local media. He was previously managing director of Trinity Mirror North East, publishers of the Gazette in Middlesbrough and the Chronicle, Journal and Sunday Sun in Newcastle.

Bob works with several organisations as Chair, Vice Chair and non-executive director.

Thirteen Board Director and Chair of Customer Committee

Katy Wilburn

Katy Wilburn

Katy is employed by First Choice Homes as their head of transformation and is a researcher and analyst. For the past eight years, her career has focused on research in the social housing sector, working directly with more than 60 registered social housing providers across the UK, supporting them to continually improve and enhance the services offered to tenants and residents. Having been born, raised, and lives there now with her family, in Norton, Katy is a proud advocate of the local area and its heritage and is ambitious for its future

Thirteen Board Director and Remuneration Committee Member

Salma Yasmeen

Salma Yasmeen Web

Salma has lots of experience in the health and care systems and leading organisational innovation and change. She works in the NHS, where she is an executive lead for strategy, change, communications and inequalities.

Salma is passionate about public services. She is interested in how they address inequalities and enable everyone to live a safe, connected, meaningful and healthy life.

Thirteen Board Director and Development and Investment Committee Member

Stuart Duthie

Stuart Duthie

Stuart has 30 years’ experience in IT and digital technologies, with two decades spent in senior leadership roles across various sectors, including local government, social housing, financial services, and healthcare.  He has been responsible for defining and delivering transformational programmes to deliver business growth, efficiencies or reduced operational risk.

Thirteen Board Director and Audit and Risk Committee Member

Lee Ali

Lee Ali Photo

Lee is a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and CFO with over 20 years’ international financial and business leadership experience gained through public, privately owned and private equity backed businesses within the region.

In the wider community, Lee is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and chairs the Finance and Audit Committee at Dementia Matters. He is also Treasurer of his local scout group.

Group Chief Executive and Thirteen Board Director

Matt Forrest

4995 Matt Forrest 1

Matt joined Thirteen from Home Group, where he was executive director of operations.

Having lived and worked in the North East for nearly 30 years, the former teacher and chartered accountant has held several executive and senior roles. He brings exceptional knowledge of the sector and a wealth of experience from social housing and the private sector.

Board member remuneration

You can find details about board member remuneration on the financial statements page.

Board and committee member - declarations of interest

We are committed to openness and transparency. So we regularly collate potential and actual conflicts of interest of board and committee members, our executive team and all colleagues.  Read our register of board and committee member interests 2024.