Tim Taylor - Director

Having worked in the social housing sector for over fifteen years, Tim began offering consultancy services under the Skills & Projects banner in 1998. Since then, he has developed an excellent track record in working with a wide range of housing and higher education clients, associates and consultancies both within the UK and overseas.

Tim is an expert in people development, facilitating organisational change and practitioner research. He complements his consultancy role through his work as a member of the University of Westminster's educational development team and has over ten years experience as a visiting lecturer in the University's School of Architecture & Built Environment. Tim is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing and is active in the work of the CIH's London Branch. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a reviewer for Henley Management College's Action Learning journal.

Mark Anderson - Director
Mark joined Skills & Projects on a full-time basis in September 2005. Formerly an IT consultant, Mark has extensive experience of delivering projects in the private, public and voluntary sectors.

He is an expert in business process and systems analysis, business integration, data analysis and project management.

Since joining Skills & Projects, Mark’s main role has been in helping our clients to use ICT to improve the quality and value of what they do. He also leads the design and development of the web-applications we use for data gathering/analysis, and stakeholder communications.

Marks greatest asset is that as well as being good with technology he is good with people. He sits on the board of SCIP, a social enterprise providing IT services to charities, and is a qualified British Cycling coach.

Liz Potter - Associate
Liz is a consultant specialising in governance, strategy and leadership. She is Chair of Orbit Housing Group, where she has had active experience of negotiating partnerships, improving governance and developing a stronger focus on people and diversity. She works with a wide range of housing organisations to improve governance and develop strategy. She is a qualified executive coach, working with middle and senior managers to develop their skills and confidence. She has worked on Leadership 2010, the plan to improve the quality and diversity of future leadership in housing associations. Liz has worked in housing for over twenty years, including her previous role at national level as Director of Policy at the National Housing Federation. She brings strategic overview, governance skills and knowledge, organisation development, presentation and training skills and a commitment to developing potential.

Diane Heath - Associate
Diane is a consultant and trainer as well as a qualified GSCC registered social worker with twenty years experience. She has worked as a Health Promotion Adviser with the NHS and has attained specialist skills in training and sexual health promotion work. She holds additional professional Health Promotion and counselling qualifications. She also has extensive experience of working in the independent fostering sector, where she has worked as Development Manager responsible for quality assurance, developing and implementing an internal audit and fostering outcomes framework used in the monitoring of contracts with local authority purchasers. Diane has managed recruitment, assessment, approval and training services.

Sunaina Gulati - Associate
Sunaina is a researcher and journalist who has worked with Skills & Projects since 2005. She has made a specific contribution to projects promoting young enterprise and entrepreneurship, and researching support needs within the Irish community. She has also worked with us to produce an educational development film. Sunaina has a Masters in Journalism and is fluent in English, Thai, Hindi and Punjabi. Alongside her work with Skills & Projects, she is currently working as a Production Assistant with CNN.

Kevin Farell - Associate
Kevin worked for Skills & Projects on a full-time basis between 2003 and 2005. He has over 20-years experience in the local authority, housing association and voluntary sectors. He has been an executive director of a community housing association and has extensive experience of managing supported housing projects and services for homeless persons. Kevin has led the development of innovative housing management, organisational change and human resource management initiatives. He has also taught in the School of Architecture & Built Environment at the University of Westminster.

Ginny Colwell - Associate
Ginny is an associate who brings a wealth of executive experience. After a career as a Nursing Director in both the NHS and a commercial healthcare company, she now devotes herself to consultancy and coaching and is a trustee of a hospice and a non executive director for a Co-owned, Community Healthcare organisation. With six years of coaching experience she combines her extensive management and coaching skills to provide a personalised experience leading individuals to further realise their own unique potential to contribute to their organisations.

Arun Misra - Associate
Arun Misra is an independent management consultant specialising in governance, regulation, business strategy, and change management. He has over 25 years experience of the social housing sector and has worked as a policy advisor to the National Housing Federation, senior regulator at the Housing Corporation and as a Director in a medium sized housing group with responsibility for corporate services. Arun has written and edited policy publications for the National Housing Federation, developed and influenced national level policy on customer complaints and service improvements, best value, regulation, performance measurement, and equality and diversity. More recently Arun has led business strategy development, change management and service improvement and communications in a medium size-housing group. Arun is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

Eric Welburn - Associate
Eric is an independent management consultant with extensive experience working in Europe and the Middle East. Specialising in human capital/human resource and organisational development, he has experience in working with a wide range of private and public sector organisations. This experience was grounded in a corporate career in accountancy, auditing, financial and professional services. His skills incorporate needs identification, leadership development, coaching, and managing the human side of change. Sectors within which he has worked include Information Technology, Financial Services, Retail, Local & Central Government and Higher Education. He is an associate with the National School of Government, a member of the Institute of Human Capital Management (ICHM) and a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Karen Cooper - Associate
Karen has 16 years of housing management experience within both general needs and supported housing organisations and is a former Chief Executive with proven leadership and management qualities in the social housing sector. With over 11 years experience of strategic leadership, and developing and implementing organisational vision, Karen is skilled in business planning, policy work, risk management, new business opportunities and shaping service delivery. Well versed in governance issues and working with Boards and Committees, Karen also brings a high level of negotiating and influencing skills, and extensive experience of developing and maintaining key partnerships and relationships with stakeholders. She is an expert facilitator and trainer with excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Above all Karen is passionate about customer service and driving up service standards. Karen is Director and founder of KC Consulting, which offers a range of consultancy services to the housing and voluntary sector, mainly at an Executive and Board level, to help organisations achieve their strategic objectives.