Chairs' Challenge: A vision for change

Leadership is crucial for driving diversity and inclusion within an organisation.

Chairs, boards, and chief executives – the leadership teams working within and alongside housing associations – have the potential to embed these values within an organisation’s culture and behaviour, in our drive towards an inclusive future for all.

We see firsthand the work that housing associations are already doing to improve inclusion, diversity and representation – our sector is driven by social purpose. But we know through our own research that there is more to be done to improve representation at board level.

That's why we are encouraging board members to sign up for our new inclusive leadership challenge.

This challenge builds on our previous 'chairs challenge', which was launched in 2023. In line with the insight and feedback from board members, our EDI networks, and with support from Altair, we have broadened the challenge to involve all board members and executives. By challenging a wider group, and specifying the actions that can be taken, we hope to consistently support leaders across the sector to overcome barriers to inclusivity.