Darren Hartley, Chief Executive
Darren has worked as Chief Executive of TAROE Trust since November 2016. Prior to this he has held a number of senior positions within the housing sector. This has included 7 years as Company Secretary and Assistant Chief Executive at Alliance Homes Group. He was also formerly Chief Executive of TAROE Limited, and has close and longstanding links with the organisation.
Darren was the Chair of the Residents’ Voice Working Group for the Hackitt Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. He also has expertise in the areas of governance and regulation, organisational change, audit and risk management. He provides consultancy services across the housing and charity sectors.
Darren has a Degree in Law, a Masters degree in Criminal Justice, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Housing. He is also a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing, a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, and a Corporate Member of the Institute of Leadership and Management.
When not in work, Darren can usually be found training or competing in ultra endurance trail running and mountain bike races.
Leslie Channon, Public Affairs and Tenant Engagement Consultant
Leslie’s areas of expertise include: resident engagement and scrutiny, project management, stakeholder/staff interviews, focus groups, co-regulation, team building, away day facilitation, research, policy, and Equality and Diversity.
As a campaigner she was a lead steering group member of the ‘Benefit to Society’ #SeeThePerson campaign @2BenefitSociety, and Chair of ‘A Voice for Tenants’ #AVFT steering group. She has become one of the leading voices of tenants in the country to make the case for better engagement. Working closely with the MHCLG and the then Housing Ministers Alok Sharma, MP, Dominic Raab, MP and Kit Malthouse, MP, Leslie helped to develop and co-facilitate the post Grenfell Ministerial Roadshows (2017/2018) – which informed the Social Housing Green Paper. She has also led the successful the annual social media campaign – #HousingDay @HousingDay since 2018.
Leslie gained an MA in Housing Practice from the University of Westminster – her dissertational research was published by HQN (2016) and was awarded the CIH Prize. She is also a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing. Leslie is an experienced public speaker, writer, and blogger. Her articles have been published in the Guardian, 24Housing and Inside Housing, amongst others. Leslie is currently an Inside Housing IH50 columnist.
Follow Leslie on Twitter @LeslieChannon
Debbie Larner, Associate
Debbie is an experienced, qualified and dedicated housing professional with over 30 years of experience working in the housing sector – both in front line roles and for housing’s professional body, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH). As Head of Practice, Debbie translated government policy into practice; identified and promoted good practice across the sector and provided consultancy support to organisation on core housing management and resident engagement services. Debbie led on the development of the CIH professional standards and self-assessment methodology. Debbie has an extensive network of housing practitioners and policy contacts and has built a positive professional reputation across the housing sector over her career. She is an experienced public speaker, trainer and author of housing publications and blogs. She has a Degree in Law from University of Warwick and a post-graduate diploma in housing. Debbie is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
Hannah Absalom, Associate
Hannah is an Economic and Social Research Council-funded Research Associate at the University of Birmingham and an independent consultant and trainer. She brings together research and practice under the Rethinking Homes Network banner at www.TrainandConsult.co.uk. Her primary focus is on translating cutting-edge academic research into emotions, place and participation processes into actionable insight for social housing practice and tenant participation. She is also interested in technology and innovation in social housing, having undertaken the first investigation into the use of advanced digital technologies, analytic techniques and behavioural ideas in social housing work. If you are interested in putting the heart back into social housing work and/or wish to gain perspective on the claims made of technologies in social housing work, you can contact us here or contact her directly at: RT.Homes@TrainandConsult.co.uk.