Stonewater has appointed Kirsty Spark as its new chief financial officer, joining the social housing provider’s chief officer group from November.
Spark will lead on finance, governance and assurance, moving from her current role as chief financial officer at affordable housing provider Accent Group. She also sits as a board and audit committee member, and chairs the governance and remuneration committee at Leeds Federated Housing Association.
She joined Accent in 2018 as financial controller before progressing to chief financial officer, a period in which she helped secure the organisation’s £350m bond and led a corporate portfolio spanning finance, people and culture, technology, data, governance, and risk and Assurance. During her tenure, Accent retained its G1/V1 regulatory ratings and Standard & Poor’s A credit rating.
Spark says: “I’m excited to be joining Stonewater at such an important point in its journey. My time at Accent has given me invaluable experience, opportunities to grow and the privilege of working alongside exceptional colleagues, for which I’ll always be grateful.
“Those experiences have reinforced my belief that strong financial stewardship is about enabling organisations to invest in homes, communities and the services customers rely on with an emphasis on a customer-first approach.
“The need for good quality, safe, sustainable homes is greater than ever and I’m looking forward to being part of Stonewater’s success story in creating more opportunities for people to have a place to call home.”
Jonathan Layzell, chief executive at Stonewater, said: “Kirsty’s appointment is a very welcome addition to Stonewater’s chief officer group. Her extensive financial expertise alongside her astute insight and genuine passion for customer excellence really stood out for us. She has a great ability to inspire others and create strong relationships with stakeholders which align with our values and organisational goals.
“I have no doubt that she’ll be a brilliant asset to our senior team, building on our financial strength to deliver our corporate plan and strategic objectives, ensuring we remain well placed to realise our ambitions and meet future challenges.”
Image credit: Natee Meepian/Shutterstock
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