Anna joined Look Ahead in 2022 with a wealth of development and service delivery experience from both private and not-for-profit providers. Throughout her career, Anna’s primary incentive has been to ensure that people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism are able to live the lives that they choose, where they choose and with who they choose. Anna has a particular passion for ensuring that people who are leaving long stay hospital have a trusted voice regarding their futures, including identifying the right accommodation. Anna and her team always work on the principle that the design and development of the right environment lays a solid foundation for people to explore and develop good lives.

Ian has been Executive Director for Advance for 8 years, leading all of Advance’s housing operations and development. Ian has worked across housing and social care through his career, having started in front-line homelessness work, qualifying and working as a social worker, commissioning housing related support services and taking senior roles in social housing management with medium and large providers. Advance specialises in supported housing for people with disabilities and people with mental health conditions. In particular, Advance is the market leader nationally in the provision of HOLD (Home Ownership for people with a Long-term Disability). Since joining Advance, Ian has led the expansion of HOLD to the current position where Advance has over 700 current shared owners under the HOLD scheme.

Naina has 35 years’ experience of business development within the private, public, housing, charity and social care sectors, of which the last 10 years have been in developing services for people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs and dementia. This has included developing bespoke accommodation tailored to these needs. At present she offers consultancy to Bristol based housing association Elim Housing on the development of specialised supported housing schemes, and also work for NHS Gloucestershire ICB as a Commissioner of services for people with learning disabilities and autism.

John has over 30 years of experience working in the social housing sector. John became chief executive of Golden Lane Housing in 2018, having worked for the national learning disability and autism housing association since 2000. John plays an influencing national role in the supported housing sector and is currently the Chair of the Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network, a coalition of housing associations from across the UK. John sits on the advisory board to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Housing Market and Housing Delivery. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Royal Society of Arts, and a graduate of Warwick Business School.