Next Generation Leaders – Rachel, Vicky, Will & Barry

Over the last 10 years I have worked within various settings in the care industry - my experience spans from supporting adults with learning disabilities, women seeking refuge, young people in care to adults with complex needs in the homeless sector.

I am currently working within a supported living hostel for vulnerable adults with complex needs. As a team leader my day to day work involves supporting the residents to live safer, independent and fulfilling livers and creating a positive and inspiring environment in which they can achieve their goals. I also work with multiple agencies and partners in the borough to ensure the clients' needs are met, these include drug and alcohol services, housing teams and NHS teams.

My hobbies include, reading, cooking and all the things beauty related. I particularly enjoy cooking, both traditional cultural dishes and experimenting with new flavours, I get lots of inspiration from perusing social media and am always finding new ways to jazz-up a banana loaf.

I have been in local government for 25 years, housing for 22 years and management for 14. I started my career at Thanet District Council as a general assistant and gravitated to housing where I progressed to a Homeless Officer. from there I went to Folkestone & Hythe Council as a homeless officer and became a Senior officer. I left that local authority in 2007 to become the Housing Options Manager for Thanet District Council before leaving to join Gravesham Borough Council.

I am currently the Head of Service for Housing Options that has the overall responsibility for Private Sector Housing, Disabled Facility Grants and Energy, Homelessness, Allocations and Rough Sleeping.

I enjoy family adventures and visiting new places abroad. I am a dedicated mum to two amazing children and I enjoy being on the sidelines watching football as much as being a helper at a swimming gala. I love organisation events whether this be a night out for a birthday celebration or a collection from parents for a teachers present.

I've worked in a number of performance, improvement and project management roles at three London Boroughs before leading a strategic commissioning, procurement and governance team in Hammersmith and Fulham's Economy department (Housing, Regeneration, Planning). I have lead service improvement projects in Housing/Temporary Accommodation, Parks, Waste, Children's Safeguarding and Resident Engagement.

I lead a team of commissioning and procurement experts. We are responsible for delivering the highest value/most strategic procurement exercises. We also undertake deeper pieces of commissioning analysis and produce options appraisals/business cases for major change projects - such as insourcing services.

My main interests are history, architecture/urbanism, art, travel and theatre. I've recently really got into American Football and have been lucky enough to attend the recent London series.