Meet the Board
Rhys Thomas, Vice Chair
Rhys is a chartered construction manager working as a design manager for a construction and development company in south Wales, as well as the south west of England. He is responsible for ensuring new projects progress through the development stages and get on site.
Rhys has been a Board member since 2016 and is enjoying all aspects of his board membership role ensuring Newydd remains a strong tenant focused organisation.
Rhys is also Chair of the Governance Committee and sits on the Living Quarters Wales Board.
Shani Payter
Shani has a degree in housing practice and policy and has worked in the Welsh housing sector for five years. She currently works for a local authority within the housing management team in community investment which involves assisting people to gain employment, health and wellbeing projects, digital inclusion, time banking and an open spaces project.
Shani also does relief work in a Homeless Hostel which is something that Shani is passionate about as she believes that everyone deserves to have somewhere that they can call home, which is of a good standard and quality.
Shani is a Newydd tenant and she has been a Board member since 2017, she also sits on the Group Audit & Risk Committee.
Padma Ramanan
Padma joined Newydd in September 2022 as Common Board Member and also sits on the Newydd Maintenance Limited Board.
As a CCAB Qualified finance professional, she brings a wealth of experience to our Board. Padma has worked for 8 years in local government and 10 years in the NHS as Head of Finance in Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Children's services.
She also serves a Trustee at the Bristol Law Centre, including six years as Treasurer for the Law Centre until 2021, during which time she was the Chair of the finance committee and provided financial expertise on the Board of Trustees.
Rachel Jones
Rachel joined the Board in February 2019 and brings to Newydd over 20 years of public service experience working at a national, regional and local level across a range of services including integrated health and social care; economic development; corporate policy and planning; early intervention; community safety; community development; and research and community engagement.
Rachel is currently the Associate Director for Marie Curie Wales with a responsibility for delivering end of life care across Wales and supporting everyone to have the best possible end of life experience, reflecting what’s most important to them. Previously Rachel has held a number of leadership roles in Welsh Government, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Cardiff Council.
Deb Austin, Chair
Deb joined Newydd in 2016 and has recently been elected Chair of the Board. Before taking on the Board Chair role she was Chair of the Governance Committee, which she remains a member of. Deb is a qualified teacher and now works for Public Health Wales in Children and Young People’s mental health and wellbeing.
Kris Ablett
Kris has held senior operational and HR management roles within retail and has also held a role within a Housing Association, Kris is now a Customer Experience Manager for a sustainable energy firm. Kris has been a member of the Board since 2017 and is also Chair of the Newydd Maintenance Board.
Nick Lawley
Nick is a Director at Cooke & Arkwright Chartered Surveyors, based in Cardiff. He be brings to Newydd 18 years of experience in the Chartered Surveying industry. Nick has been a member of the Board since September 2020 and also sits on the Living Quarters Wales Board.
Nigel Irvine
Nigel is an independent board advisor, business consultant and Chartered Banker. He brings to Newydd over 24 years of leadership, corporate finance and strategy experience gained in senior roles at Santander, RBS and Bank of Scotland. Nigel joined the Board in September 2021, he also sits on the Governance Committee and is Chair of Group Audit & Risk Committee.
Matt Brooks
Matt is an experienced strategic board advisor working with technology businesses and venture capital funds in Wales, UK and North America. He brings to Newydd over 23 years of strategy, leadership and customer advocacy in high growth and global technology businesses having held executive roles at OpenText and ResonateKT as well as senior roles in a large law firm, non-departmental regulatory public body and financial services. Matt joined the group board in September 2021.
