Haleh Homaei – Chair
Board Member
Independent Director
Haleh Homaei is a highly experienced management executive and non-executive director with over three decades experience in government, executive management, housing and property development and governance. Her skills include leadership and executive management, operational development and transition planning, government relations (federal, state and local), private and public sector partnerships, structured deal-making, complex stakeholder engagement, policy development and board governance.
From 2016-2024 she was Chief Executive Officer of HousingFirst Limited, now one of Victoria’s pre-eminent and most respected social and affordable housing providers with a housing portfolio of over 1500 properties and more than 2200 resident tenancies. At HousingFirst she initiated and led a major rebranding and growth strategy, and oversaw its ambitious and highly successful property development, building and upgrade program, which transformed the organisation’s older housing stock and significantly increased its portfolio of new housing. By 2024, HousingFirst had increased its asset base by 30%, had net equity of $429m, an annual cashflow exceeding $41m and a development pipeline in excess of $195m across 13 local government areas. She led a staff of 60 and recruited a highly regarded executive team to work alongside her and to support organisational growth. Prior to joining HousingFirst, Haleh held senior management positions with several of the leading community housing organisations in Victoria and Australia, as well as leadership positions within government.
Haleh is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and an experienced director. She served as a board member of the community housing sector peak body, Community Housing Industry Association Victoria (CHIAVic) for ten years, including three years as Chair. She was a board member of the renowned Asylum Seeker Recourse Centre (ASRC) for 5 years and is a member of the Harmony Alliance, that supports the participation of migrant and refugee women in economic, social, cultural, civil, and political life.
Chris Bratchford
Board Member
CEO – Mission Australia Housing
Chris is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational performance and sustainable growth of Mission Australia Housing, one of the largest national community housing providers in Australia. Prior to joining Mission Australia Housing, Chris worked in leadership roles across the not-for-profit and commercial sectors both nationally and internationally and has been a Non-Executive Director of the NSW Federation of Housing Associations and also Professional Insurance Australia Pty Ltd. Chris is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Master of Business Administration and a Degree in Law.
Mission Australia Housing’s goal is to reduce homelessness and strengthen communities.
Mission Australia Housing is an innovative, collaborative, purpose-led and values-driven housing organisation. As a part of the Mission Australia Group, we provide social and affordable rental housing to low and moderate income households.
Mission Australia Housing, as part of the Aspire Consortium together with Frasers Property and Citta Property, were in August 2017 announced as the successful tenderers to transform the Ivanhoe public housing estate in Macquarie Park, Sydney into an integrated social, affordable and market housing community. A minimum of 950 social and 128 affordable dwellings will be delivered into this mixed tenure community.
Philip Frost
Board Member
Independent Director
Philip has been engaged with the Community Housing sector for more than 20 years. He has served as a Director of two CHPs and as a CFO. He brings extensive experience from his career in investment banking and the finance industry, delivering project and infrastructure finance and public/ private partnership solutions. He has extensive experience in the financing of social and affordable housing projects. Philip holds a Bachelors degree in Economics, qualified as a Chartered Accountant and is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Michelle Phillips
Board Member
CEO – YWCA National Housing
Michelle Phillips is the Group CEO for YWCA Australia and is the Member representative of YWCA National Housing. and offers a wealth of expertise, including strategy, advocacy, change management, and cross-jurisdictional/regional representation.
In addition, Michelle has international experience with Marie Stopes International, previously based in South Africa, Cambodia, Nepal and Indonesia leading advocacy and access to sexual reproductive health services.
Adding further to her diversity of experience, Michelle also held CEO/CFO roles with Queensland Rugby Union and Football Federation Australia (setting up the Women’s A-League) and is a Chartered Accountant.
Andrew McAnulty
Board Member
CEO – Link Wentworth Housing
Andrew has been the CEO of Link Wentworth since 2013, during which time the company has grown from 27 staff with 1,000 homes to over 6,400 homes and 200 staff.
Andrew is a respected community housing figure, both nationally and internationally. He has delivered social, affordable and large-scale urban renewal projects for more than 30 years across Australia and the United Kingdom.
Andrew’s experience highlights the innovation and vision required to create cutting edge outcomes for projects which link Government, the private sector and the community housing sector – in order to actually deliver mixed tenure housing and place based urban renewal outcomes which create places for people to thrive.
Throughout Andrew’s career, he has improved and built organisations with positive and engaging cultures; outcomes have been enhanced through his positive approach and genuine focus on staff and tenants. Andrew is also a Board Member of CHIA NSW.
Stacey Northover
Board Member
Executive General Manager – Housing Services – Believe Housing Australia
Stacey Northover has been the Executive General Manager of Housing Services for Believe Housing Australia since March 2023 and the Head of Housing Operations for two years prior.
With over 25 years of experience in the UK and Australian housing sectors, Ms Northover is overseeing Believe Housing Australia’s $100 million housing development pipeline committed over the next 10 years.
Believe Housing Australia is one of the largest not-for-profit Community Housing Providers (CHPs) in South Australia, serving more than 4800 tenants housed in more than 2100 social and affordable homes.
In her role at Believe Housing Australia and as a PowerHousing Australia board member, Ms Northover is engaging with State and Federal Governments, Ministers and government bodies, including the South Australian Housing Authority and Housing Australia
Ms Northover’s experience stems from leadership roles with affordable housing providers in the UK, including BCHA and Aster Housing, where she was responsible for budgets of up to $19 million budget and 10,000 properties.
Raised in community housing in the UK, Ms Northover knows firsthand that housing is fundamental to transitioning people, particularly families, out of crisis to build independence and wellbeing for a full and fulfilling life.
Her life experience makes Ms Northover a passionate advocate for improving access to social and community housing, policy reform and funding streams in a climate of great need due to escalating rental and living costs.
Bevan Warner
Board Member
CEO – Launch Housing
Bevan Warner is the Chief Executive Officer of Launch Housing, a specialist homelessness services organisation that has spearheaded the delivery of safe housing to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, for over 70 years. Today, Launch Housing is recognised as one of Victoria’s largest providers of homeless support and advocacy services reaching over 15,000 Victorians each year.
Since joining in 2018, Bevan has continued to champion Launch Housing’s vision to end homelessness, working with government and communities to develop strategies that redefine traditional approaches to addressing homelessness and give back to people their right to access without impediments or prejudice, essential services such as education and healthcare and give them too, the sanctuary that having a front door to close behind you, brings.
Bevan is also a Director of the Foyer Foundation, which provides integrated learning and accommodation centres for young people at risk of homelessness, and the Alliance to end homelessness, a collective of allied networks working towards ending homelessness in Australia.
Judy Line
Board Member
CEO – Women’s Housing Ltd.
Judy Line has been CEO at Women’s Housing Ltd since 2005. Prior to her position with WHL, Judy worked in women’s refuges, a youth service and was the state project officer for the Victorian Public Tenant’s Association. Judy is a passionate housing advocate and believes that everyone has the right to safe, affordable, and secure housing. Since joining WHL, the agency has grown from a small transitional housing manager to a tier 1 Housing Association that specialises in building new affordable housing for women and their children.
Judy’s qualifications include Master of Business Administration, Graduate Diploma in Management and Diploma of Community Services and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Joe Achmar
Board Member
Acting CEO – St George Community Housing
Joe is an experienced senior executive and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He joined SGCH in June 2022 Chief Financial Officer and as of August 2024 is the Acting Chief Executive Officer.
Joe brings over 30 years of commercial, governance and risk experience with fifteen of those as a Acting CEO and CFO, most recently at Venues NSW. Joe commenced his professional career at EY before joining AMP Capital, culminating in his appointment as Fund Controller for the Property Division. Joe brings experience in similar organisations having been CFO of Campus Living Villages between 2010-2017. In this role, Joe played a key role managing investor and financier relationships while supporting the operating business to serve thousands of students living in properties in Australia, NZ, the USA and UK.
Michelle Gegenhuber
Chief Executive Officer
PowerHousing Australia
Michelle is a passionate and driven CEO and Director focused on collaboration and capacity building to deliver increased access to safe and sustainable homes for those most vulnerable.
As a dynamic and pragmatic leader who has led community housing organisations through transformation and significant growth, Michelle applies her experience across the private, Local Government and Not For Profit sectors, including over a decade in Community Housing, to be a strong advocate for the community housing sector focused on amplifying the impact of social and affordable housing.
Michelle has exceptional skills in working with a broad range of cross sector professionals both Nationally and Internationally, together with a strong drive to increase housing supply, influence impactful change and deliver significant outcomes which enhance the quality of life for others.
Qualifications include Bachelor of Business (Valuation & Commercial Management), MBA, AICD and Oxford High Performance Leadership graduate.