Leeds & Yorkshire Housing Association (LYHA) is delighted to appoint two new board members, Jeremy Earnshaw and Haroon Rashid, who both bring a wealth of experience and skills, particularly in the fields of audit and finance.

Haroon is Head of Central Finance at Freemans Grattan Holdings and was previously an Audit Manager at KPMG. He has also been board member and Chair of the Audit Committee at Bradford based Manningham Housing Association for the last six years, so brings considerable housing sector experience. In addition to joining our main board, in 2022 Haroon will also chair our Audit and Risk Committee which is responsible for managing LYHA’s internal and external audit arrangements and for assuring the board about the controls in place for managing risk. Commenting on his appointment, he said: "I'm delighted to be joining the board and look forward to working with LYHA to help ensure we continue to provide great homes and service to our customers and communities."

Jeremy Earnshaw has over 30 years senior treasury, finance and governance expertise, in both public and private sector organisations, including as Chief Financial Officer of the Your Housing Group, which has over 28,000 homes across the North West, Yorkshire and the Midlands. He has in-depth knowledge of the need to balance commercial success with social values. He is also an Executive Coach & Mentor, having qualified at the highest level with the Institute of Leadership & Management. He comments: “"I am personally delighted to be asked to join the board of Leeds & Yorkshire Housing Association. The Social Housing sector is fundamental to solving the national housing crisis, and I know that LYHA is committed to making an integral contribution. As a resident of Leeds and Yorkshire for over 35 years, I am looking forward to helping my colleagues support the community where I live."

Mike Gaskell, Chair of board at LYHA, adds: “Our board is made up of members from a diverse range of backgrounds who together provide a breadth of experience and ideas. We are delighted to welcome Jeremy and Haroon and I look forward to working closely with them both. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Liz Sandwith and Steven Brook, who are stepping down from the board, for their dedication and commitment over the last few years. Steven leaves now and Liz, having served six years on our board, will be required to step down next spring, in accordance with the NHF Code of Corporate Governance. I would like to wish them both all the very best for the future. I pay particular tribute to Liz, who was a wonderful support to me in the difficult times for LYHA which marked my first couple of years as Chair of the board.”