Sarah is a Policy and External Affairs Manager at Community Housing Cymru (CHC), the membership body for housing associations in Wales. CHC support registered social landlords to provide housing and services to 10% of the Welsh population and fulfil the sector vision of a Wales where good housing is a basic right for all. Sarah leads CHC's health, social care and supported housing portfolio, working with members, partners and decision-makers to improve integration and demonstrate the value of housing to health and wellbeing.  Sarah is a trustee for Chwarae Teg, a charity working for gender equality in Wales. She is also an editorial panel member for Thinkhouse, a free online library for housing research.

Dr Sumina Azam is a Consultant in Public Health at Public Health Wales. At Public Health Wales Sumina is also the Policy Lead, and Deputy Director of Policy and International Health, WHO Collaborating Centre on Investment for Health and Wellbeing. Sumina has undertaken work in a range of areas in recent years, including housing, fuel poverty and health, Brexit and trade, and sustainable development. 

Manon is a Senior Policy Officer in Public Health Wales’s Policy Team, having joined in February 2022. Manon leads the Policy team’s work on health and housing, and also works on health inequalities and the cost of living crisis.

Joanne is a qualified accountant with over 20 years of experience in senior leadership roles across the public and third sectors. Joanne previously worked as the Director of Strategy and Corporate Services at Social Care Wales, a care and support organisation. Joanne is also a passionate Board member of Bron Afon Community Housing, Bridgend College, and a Trustee for Building Communities Trust.

Cheryl is the Head of Community Safety and Community Housing for Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCT CBC). Cheryl has worked in the field of housing for many years and has specialist knowledge and experience of working with homelessness legislation and commissioning of Housing Support Grant services.

Ceri has had a varied career starting in Finance and then moving into Health (GP Practice) and Housing. Ceri has worked in the Substance Misuse Commissioning Team in Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council since July 2008, becoming the Area Planning Board Lead in 2016.

Dr Jamie Smith is Director of Research and Innovation at Hafod and leads Side-by-Side, Hafod’s specialist innovation unit established in 2021. Jamie had worked in public services roles for 20 years.  Prior to joining Hafod in 2018, he worked as Head of Public Services Research at the Welsh Government, taking up the role in 2010. Jamie held various research and innovation-related roles in central and local government prior to this, following completion of a PhD on climate change in 2002.  Jamie is passionate about meaningful innovation and is currently engaged in several projects around the cost-of-living, de-carbonisation, isolation and loneliness, health inequality and re-imagining older age.

Philip Daniels is a Consultant in Public Health in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg public health team, leading on health improvement and wider determinants.  Philip began his public health career working in homeless hostels in Cardiff and has a keen interest in housing as a determinant of health.

Chris Emmerson is a Specialty Registrar in Public Health. Before entering the field of public health, he worked in frontline housing and drug services in East London and Cardiff. He has a particular interest in health inequalities and system working. 

David is a housing professional with 38 years’ experience in housing management and estate and asset regeneration. During that time David has worked in local authority and housing associations in Rhondda Cynon Taff. Currently leading the asset regeneration team in Trivallis where he manages all things regeneration and decarbonisation across four separate teams. David has recently been able to oversee developments including supported living projects for adults with learning difficulties and high-level autism as well as general needs homes which are suitable for adapted and bariatric people.

Jonathan is a housing professional with nearly 15 years’ experience in housing, regeneration and development. During that time Jonathan has worked in housing associations and local authorities in Wales and England. Currently specialising in regeneration and development in Trivallis where he manages a programme of both general needs and specialist developments. Current specialist developments include supported living projects for adults with learning difficulties and high-level autism as well as general needs homes which are suitable for adapted and bariatric people.

Rachel Honey-Jones is Head of Community Regeneration at Newydd Housing Association and a Vice Chair in Wales’ first tenant and employee mutual – Merthyr Valleys Homes and a Board Member of HACT - a solutions agency committed to promoting ideas and innovation across the housing sector. Rachel is also a housing representative for the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Regional Partnership Board.

Nia is employed as a Joint Regional Commissioning Officer for Cwm Taf Morgannwg Regional Partnership Board (RPB).  Nia’s role is varied, leading a wide range of complex strategic developments, including commissioning regional contracts for children’s social care, coordinating Welsh Government capital funding for investment into the region for older people, people with learning disabilities and children with complex needs and is involved in leading the development of a 5-10 year regional capital strategy.  Prior to this, she managed a multi-disciplinary team, providing integrated health and social care support to families and children living in deprived communities, under the Welsh Government’s Flying Start Programme. In her previous life, Nia served in Her Majesty’s Armed forces (Royal Air Force) for 14 years and served overseas with NATO and United Nation allies.

Rachel Edmonds-Naish is Head of Curriculum for Science, Engineering, Construction and Building Services at Bridgend College. Rachel recognises that the Further Education sector has the potential to transform individual lives as well as communities. Rachel is co-chair of the Net Zero Wales Skills Economies Advisory Forum, demonstrating her passion for the capacity of systems-thinking and cross-sector partnerships to achieve ambitious outcomes for health, housing and sustainable development.

Linda is an experienced NHS executive and has worked at a senior level across many sectors of the NHS and in partnership organisations. This includes a Local Authority and the Voluntary Sector as well as the Chief Officer of a Commissioning organisation. Linda thus has a good understanding of the NHS, the public sector in general and the wider political context. Linda trained as a Physiotherapist, specialising in Stroke care, before taking on General Management roles in Medicine, Ophthalmology and Community Services. Linda’s career then took her into commissioning in various organisations in the South West of England and eventually to NHS England. At one point, she was the commissioner of 400 GP practices. Linda spent a little over 2 years as the Chief Officer of Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Since then she has undertaken assignments as a consultant. For the last 18 months, she has been the Executive Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB aiming to ensure that the Health Board best serves the population.

Paul Mears has been Chief Executive of Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board in Wales, UK since September 2020. The Health Board is an integrated population health organisation delivering and commissioning healthcare services for a population of 450,000 in the Welsh Valleys.  This includes three general hospitals, mental health services, community care, primary care services and public health.  Paul is the national CEO lead in the Welsh NHS for innovation and also leads the delivery of value-based healthcare across the country. Prior to this role, Paul spent two years as an independent management consultant advising a number of clients in both the public and private healthcare sectors as well as digital healthcare businesses.  This included working as a Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company.  Paul was previously Chief Executive of Yeovil District Hospital in Somerset where he established the Symphony Programme designed to integrate care across primary care, the acute hospital and community services.   Paul started his NHS career in Torbay where he was instrumental in setting up Torbay Care Trust and leading the operational business of one of the first integrated community health and social care organisations in England as well as working as Chief Operating Officer at Torbay Hospital.  Paul has an interest in integrated care, digital healthcare and innovation that has led him to speak at a range of national and international events on these topics.  His development of integrated care models has been featured in the Financial Times, The Economist and Health Service Journal.  Paul is a strong believer that the future of healthcare is a pivot away from a focus on hospital-based care to upstream engagement and involvement of communities in improving health outcomes as well as using digital technologies to drive a more citizen-centred healthcare system.

Ceri Ford - Cwm Taf Morgannwg Area Planning Board - Lead Officer (Substance Misuse)

Regional Partnership Board Cwm Taf Morgannwg