Board appointments

Karbon Homes Limited

05 August 2026

 

Karbon appoints housing association CEO as new chair of board

Karbon Homes has appointed Sinead Butters MBE as the new chair of its group board.

Sinead will join the group, which owns and manages over 34,000 homes across the North East and Yorkshire, from the 1 October, replacing the outgoing chair Alexis Cleveland who has completed her term.

Sinead is the Chief Executive of Aspire Housing and brings the experience of a 30-year career in social housing to the role. She is an accomplished non-executive director and is currently chair of Black Country Housing Ltd, with previous chair roles at Berneslai Homes and PlaceShapers.

On her appointment, Sinead said: "I am deeply privileged to take up the role of Chair of Karbon Homes, working across the North East of England and Yorkshire to provide good-quality homes, excellent services and strong, sustainable places.

"My career in housing, including as a PlaceShaper, has shown me the vital role housing associations play in helping communities prosper. We will continue to put people at the heart of our decisions, listen to our customers, strive to provide high-quality services every day, and create the capacity to build more homes.

"Karbon has a fantastic team, alongside brilliant stakeholders and partners who are united by our shared goal of delivering for communities and helping them thrive. I look forward to playing my part.

Sinead will be joined by Rob Williamson OBE who is also taking up a non-executive role with the Karbon Board from October.

Rob is Chief Executive of the Community Foundation North East. With a background in policy and communications, he has forged a successful career in the voluntary sector.

Paul Fiddaman, Chief Executive of the Karbon Group, said: "We're really pleased to have Sinead and Rob joining the Karbon Group Board, both bringing a wealth of expertise and a shared commitment to achieving our mission.

"As our new chair of the board, Sinead has a fantastic reputation in the sector and brings a breadth of knowledge and experience to this position. I am looking forward to working with Sinead to continue with the delivery of our ambitious strategy, staying focused on our mission to provide more customers and communities with the strong foundations they need to thrive.

"Sinead's appointment marks the end of our current chair's term. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alexis for her support over the last six years. Her unwavering dedication to our mission over the years has been truly inspiring."

Sinead will lead the Group Board into Karbon's tenth year, guiding the organisation through the evolving economic, political and regulatory landscape. As it enters its next chapter, Karbon remains ambitious for growth and committed to delivering positive outcomes for its customers and communities.

 

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