RUSS’s Trustees set the overall strategic direction for the organisation. They monitor performance against the business plan and ensure the organisation’s resources and finances are being correctly managed. The Trustees also provide leadership, guidance, financial governance and ensure that RUSS fulfils its charitable duties. The Trustees include residents that are expected to move into the first project in Lewisham. Collectively the Board has significant experience of business, social housing, community engagement, construction processes, self-build, financial management, risk management and fundraising.
Ben Blausten Elly Greig Joel Simpson Sharon Watson
Anurag Verma
Chair
Anurag studied architecture in India and worked in Germany before moving to London for further study. He lives locally and is an associate director at Latitude Architects. He is passionate about RUSS’s innovative ‘model’ for delivering affordable self-built homes and wants to see it replicated widely across London and other cities. He has a keen eye for detail and believes he can play a key role in ensuring the Church Grove scheme is delivered in an innovative, efficient and cost-effective manner.
Phil Morris
Acting Secretary
Phil is a semi-retired accountant who has worked in social housing for most of his career. He is a board member of Coin Street Community Builders, having been involved at Coin Street since 1984. In the early 1990s he was the finance director at South London Family Housing Association, where he developed funding arrangements for self build housing for rent and shared ownership, and worked with Chisel Neighbourhood Housing Association. This resulted in innovative self build schemes in South London, Brighton and Essex
Anita Rasaratnam
Daniel Hugill
Trustee
Daniel Hugill works as a secondary school teacher working in East London. He has previously served as Chair of a national teacher subject association working to support the subject community and lobbying stakeholders to support improvement. Daniel is a very keen gardener and tends an allotment in Lewisham. He is a future resident of Church Grove with his partner Evan and their son.
Sydney Thornbury
Trustee
Sydney is an experienced arts and social enterprise executive. She has an extensive background in organisational transformation, fundraising and leadership within the third sector. She is currently CEO and Artistic Director of the Art House in Wakefield, the largest collection of artists, cultural organisations and creative enterprises in Wakefield which won the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Civic Arts Award in 2022. Prior to that, she was Project Director of The Mansion at Beckenham Park Place, working to transform a derelict 18th century Grad II* mansion house in 220 acres of parkland into an arts and cultural centre.
