With a background as a Town Planner, Wendy joined an expanding team at Orwell Housing Association in 1994 as Development Manager.  New development opportunities saw the team grow and with the inclusion of the Property Services team Wendy became Director of Development and Property Services.

In 2018 Wendy was promoted to Chief Executive and since then has steered the organisation through Covid and instigated transformation of the business which has resulted in a more forward looking, modern and agile business.

Wendy is a member of Independent East which is a consortium of five medium sized Housing Associations based in East Anglia, Chair of Eastern Procurement Limited and a board member of Active Suffolk. Wendy is also Managing Director of Orwell Homes Limited, a development subsidiary of Orwell Housing Association.

Michelle is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and joined Orwell following her role of Head of People Support at Essex Wildlife Trust.  Within this role she oversaw HR, Volunteering, Safeguarding and Health and Safety and put in place a cultural transformation programme, moving the organisation into the Times Top 100, and gaining a commendation from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development for a Wellbeing programme. 

David joined Orwell in January 2024 as Director of Finance.

He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants having qualified in 1993 with KPMG, working with the firm in both the UK and New Zealand.

David moved into the social housing sector in 1998 and has held executive roles in a number of housing providers within the eastern region and London.  David’s role at Orwell includes Finance, Development, Risk, Procurement and Fleet.

Tony joined Orwell in March 2024, bringing with him over 20 years of extensive experience in the housing sector.  Tony's career to date includes pivotal roles at both national and regional social housing providers.  With a proven track record in leading customer-facing housing services, Tony has demonstrated a keen focus on elevating the customer experience and is deeply committed to improving the quality of life and future prospects of customers, employees, and communities.

As Director of Customers and Communities, Tony will work closely with our and colleagues to provide strategic guidance across Orwell’s property and estate services, housing management, customer services, and customer engagement teams and to help implement Orwell’s mission to cultivate vibrant communities and deliver exceptional services to its customers. Tony is also responsible for compliance with consumer standards.

Tony is a recent Business and Management Graduate of Hult Ashridge Business School and a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.