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Board Spotlight: Martin Ford, Director of Assets and Maintenance, Wales & West Housing Group

In our Board Spotlight series, we introduce you to the people who make up the LHCPG Board.

The Board is integral to the way we operate as a not-for-profit organisation and each member has a part to play by offering unique insights from their experience working for various housing associations across England, Scotland and Wales.

In this latest Q&A, find out more about Martin Ford, Director of Assets and Maintenance at Wales & West Housing Group.

Can you share a little about your professional background and expertise?

Having worked in the housing sector for the past 17 years in England and Wales, I’ve held senior positions within community based and larger housing associations.

My career in housing started when I became a performance manager focusing on all areas of housing.

Following this I moved into assets and maintenance, in which I have held several roles managing assets, developing internal trade teams, and focusing on the importance of successful maintenance for residents.

At the heart of my professional approach is a deep commitment to people; my drive is to ensure we do the right things for people before we focus on being technical. Being technical comes with the job, but by ensuring people are engaged and on board with the services we provide, we can deliver them efficiently.

What drew you to LHC Procurement Group?

Procurement is the beginning of any service so it’s crucial to get it right and offer the appropriate services to people and organisations.

My main personal value is ‘influence’ and being able to play a part in how we shape procurement opportunities for good across the UK is what really motivates me.

My desire to influence comes from my own life experiences after finding myself homeless 20 years ago. This gave me the desire to be in a position to enable positive social change for people in need.

LHCPG’s values align with my own to make a positive difference within communities but also to ensure economic stability across the UK through procurement, allowing people to thrive.

What is your role on the Board, and where do you envision LHC Procurement Group in the next three years?

As a non-executive director on LHCPG’s Board, my ambition would be for the Group to be successful in the following areas:

• The expansion of its service offerings and the development of partnerships across its frameworks to meet clients’ needs in areas such as decarbonisation, digital infrastructures, and green procurement frameworks.
• Social value and how LHCPG can be seen as a beacon of how to deliver on its social purpose through frameworks by supporting local supply chains in a way that is sustainable.
• Using modern digital solutions for procurement with the intelligence of AI to optimise clients’ interaction and experience with the Group.
• Leading our clients in a supportive way when changes are made to how we procure, such as governance and regulation changes.
• Client satisfaction with their engagement with the Group, and confidence that improvements are made based on what they tell us.
• Long-term financial stability driven by successful engagement with our clients and good governance.
• I’d like LHCPG to be a place which attracts top talent within the procurement sector.

From your perspective, what are the most important things framework providers should be focusing on?

A key focus for framework providers is to ensure they provide value for money in all that they offer to their clients.

Furthermore, they should demonstrate that social value delivers many benefits and it is about more than pounds and pence.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Mental health is an important part of my life. As a Time for Change Champion in Wales, I take pride in my focus on sharing my experiences to eliminate stigma and discrimination around the matter.

Updating our home is an ongoing project for my husband and me. Not a month goes by when we aren’t building, decorating or changing something at home. It’s developed into such a passion that I now won’t allow tradespeople into my home to do anything, and I do it myself.

We have even offered ourselves up to family and friends to help them with their homes.

When we’re not doing that, we travel between Wales and Bristol for quality time with our family.