CIH Chief Executive Awarded CBE
Sarah Webb, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), has been awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours for services to the housing sector. 1. The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) is the professional body for people involved in housing and communities. We are a registered charity and not-for-profit organisation. We have a diverse and growing membership of 22,000 – both in the public and private sectors – living and working in over 20 countries on five continents across the world. Our members work for local authorities, housing associations, Arms Length Management Organisations, Government bodies, educational establishments and the private sector. Many tenants and residents are also members. We exist to maximise the contribution that housing professionals make to the wellbeing of communities. Further information is available at: www.cih.org
At CIH she has been at the forefront of shaping the direction of the housing sector, in particular developing arms length management organisations (ALMOs); putting residents at the heart of housing organisations and the English regulatory framework; and informing the decision to launch the Northern Ireland Housing Commission.
Sarah is also well known for the impact she made as Head of the Community Housing Task Force at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), where she ran a team which gave advice to local authorities, their tenants and prospective landlords on housing stock transfer.
Sarah Webb said: “I find this award rather humbling but decided to accept it as a way of saying a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone I’ve ever worked with over 20 years in housing – from the inspirational tenants in Glasgow who helped me learn how to be a housing officer to my current colleagues at CIH and Black Country Housing. I can’t believe how lucky I am to do a job I love and to work in a sector where everyone around you is motivated to transform the lives of others. I’m proud to be part of CIH and hope I can use the profile this honour will give the organisation to help us tackle the very real challenges ahead.”
Howard Farrand, President of CIH, said: "Sarah is a leader and inspirational figure in the housing world, and her CBE is well deserved recognition of the huge contribution she has made to the sector. From the streets of Glasgow in her early career to shaping national housing policy and education agendas in her current role, the difference she has made to communities and the housing profession is significant. I wait with bated breath to see what she will deliver in years to come."
*ENDS*
News release issued on behalf of the CIH by Jill Dwyer, CIH Press Office, Octavia House, Westwood Way, Coventry CV4 8JP. Telephone: 02476 851780 or 07786 716961. Email: press@cih.org.
Notes to Editors:
2. Sarah Webb’s biography
Sarah took over as CIH's Chief Executive in 2008 having led its policy and practice directorate for 4 years. Previous roles have included working as a senior civil servant at ODPM, being Head of Strategy at Birmingham City Council and Director of a community-based housing association, academic research and 5 years as a housing and regeneration consultant. Sarah began her career as a housing officer in Glasgow, has worked for the Scottish Council for Single Homeless and is currently Chair of the Black Country Housing Group. She has sat on a number of national advisory groups including the Housing Reform Advisory Panel.
3. The Chartered Institute of Housing’s annual UK conference and exhibition in Harrogate takes place from 22-24 June 2010 www.cihhousing.com
