Directors

Sanya Polescuk

Sanya is a principal of an architects’ practice, working and living in NW3 with her family. Sanya also mentors Architecture students, helps judge Architecture awards and is a committee member of BelSoc, local Amenity Society.

Jim Norton

Jim is retired. He has lived in Hampstead since 1985 and returned in 1989 after 2 years residence in Japan doing international research coordination for Xerox. He worked as a Management Consultant for Cap Gemini in Europe, Russia and S. Africa and founded BLN Ltd in 1999 doing, Managment of Technology, Strategy & Operations Improvement. He is a Director of his Housing Estate, Mt Vernon. He loves the amenities of Hampstead, especially the Heath and helped save his gym (The Armoury) from being sold by Camden to developers (circa 2008). He has degrees in Engineering (BSME) and Finance (MBA).

Calum Millbank

Calum is a mechanical engineer with a background in delivering low and zero carbon district heating and cooling projects as well as working on large scale heat decarbonisation studies for a number of UK cities. He currently works in the community energy space and went to school, lived in and has worked around the Heath for over 15 years

David Woods

David has recently retired. He was the Development Director of Octavia Housing Association for 20 years that owned and managed 6000 properties in West and Central London. He was responsible for the new development programme of circa 100 homes a year. Before that he worked for Notting Hill Housing Trust, Ealing Family Housing Association, LB Ealing and LB Haringay. In his roles, he has provided development services to other smaller Associations and led the Connected Partnership which received grant funding from the GLA for 4 Housing Associations

Darius Woo

Darius is the managing director of Kasawoo, a London-based design and consulting office that builds, thinks and writes about architecture. He is also a resident of Netherhall Gardens alongside his wife and 1 year old daughter. Prior to founding his office, Darius served as a Senior Project Architect at Weiss/Manfredi in New York City, where he had over 8 years of experience in leading large scale, complex US and international projects. In addition, he has taught at Cornell University and has been a regular juror at the Architectural Association School of Architecture. Darius holds a Bachelor of Architecture at Cornell University, and a Masters in Real Estate Finance from the University of Cambridge. He is a registered architect in New York, and a member of The American Institute of Architects.

Peter Davey

Peter is a retired housing consultant who has lived in Hampstead since 1978. He brings extensive experience as a director, manager, and consultant across a wide range of housing association, charity, and local government activities. As a consultant, he focussed on governance, business planning, improving service quality, resident participation, and DE&I. He is a trustee of Thames Reach, a charity working with London’s rough sleepers, and the Edward Carpenter Community Trust.

Lis Rodrigues

Lis has worked in the affordable housing development sector for over 30 years and is currently the Director of Regeneration & Strategic Projects at Southern Housing. Prior to this, Lis worked at Lewisham Homes as Development Director. Lis has worked in a number of leadership roles across Local Authorities and Housing Associations, including Haringey, Westminster, Barnet, L&Q, NHHG, and Newlon, among others. She has led many teams to deliver large and varied programs across a mix of tenures.

Committee members

Will Coles, Silvie Jacobi, Sanya Polescuk, Darius Woo: Communications

Irena Seget, Mark Nielson, Silvie Jacobi, Josephine Field, Calum Millbank: Affordability

Lysiane Bysh, Dave Woods, Sophie Haggerty, Josephine Field: Allocations

Anna Smoliar, Cllr Nina de Ayala Parker: support us across committees

All members work on a voluntary basis and receive no remuneration.