Meet the WiRL board

Tade Muyiwa-George, Chair, Director, Board Member

Following her session at the 2022 ARCO conference which focused on embracing the increasingly ethnically diverse ageing population and elevating value in the IRC sector, Tade co-founded Women in Retirement Living (WiRL) with an aim to empower women and other under-represented groups in the wider retirement living sector.
Tade oversees the delivery of ARCO’s commercial partnership programme with responsibility for partnership management, building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders across the sector. She is passionate about diversifying the sector and believes that housing with care options for older people and the opportunities of its workforce should be equitably accessible.
Tade is delighted to work collaboratively with its skilled Board to deliver WiRL’s mission and objectives as well as connect with like-minded individuals and organisations.

Emily Adlington

Director, Board Member

Emily is a senior business development manager at international law firm Trowers & Hamlins. She has 20 years' experience in marketing and business development in the built environment and has been involved in the senior and retirement living sector for ten years.
Emily chairs the firm's responsible business taskforce, a forum that gives the firm's lawyers the space to think laterally about the responsible business and work to make sense of the ESG agenda for clients. Identifying key issues and the most pressing questions in order to develop products and services which directly address these.

Jenny Buterchi

Board Member

Jenny, an expert architect who has worked in the sector for over 20 years, leads the later living team at PRP.
She has delivered award winning housing across tenures, specialising in designing for older people, as well as those with mental health and learning disabilities. Her breadth of experience covers a range of typologies including intergenerational living, integrated retirement communities, retirement housing and care homes.
She has also written and contributed to numerous publications and design guides, across the housing, health and wellbeing sectors.

Philippa Kellar

Board Member

Philippa was appointed Managing Director for Richmond Villages in October 2017. Philippa is responsible for devising and leading on the implementation of the overall organisational strategy and objectives. In addition Philippa is responsible for overseeing the operational management of the 10 retirement villages located within the UK, whilst seeking and developing other opportunities to expand the portfolio.
After a very successful 4 years as Operations Director at the Bupa Cromwell Hospital, Philippa was promoted to General Manager (CEO) in January 2014. Philippa was then promoted to Acting Health Services General Manager for Bupa UK in May 2016 with the role becoming permanent in August 2016. Prior to joining Bupa Cromwell Hospital Philippa had 10 years of management experience within the NHS, in various services including, Emergency Medicine, Paediatrics, Maternity, A&E, Cardiology and other medical specialties.
Philippa has a BA(Hons) in Business Studies from the University of Westminster.

Sonia Parol

Board Member

Sonia was appointed Design Director for Inspired Villages in September 2020. Sonia is responsible for developing and leading the overall company vision and design strategy. In addition, Sonia is responsible for overseeing all design matters of new projects and existing villages across the whole portfolio and seeing and developing other opportunities to expand the portfolio further.
Sonia is passionate about diversity, inclusion and the social mobility in the construction, development and retirement living sectors. Throughout her career in the United Kingdom and Australia, Sonia has actively supported young architects through mentoring, knowledge sharing and her volunteering work at university. As one of WIRL’s Board Members, she will actively promote and create opportunities for those that start their career and work in retirement living sector.

Lizzie Pillinger

Director, Board Member

Lizzie is a partner at Trowers & Hamlins specialising in real estate transactions. She has been working closely with the retirement living sector since 2017, leading the real estate aspects of several of the sector's large investor deals and working with many stakeholders in the sector. One of the founder members of WiRL, she has a strong belief in the benefits of diversity for individuals, businesses, and society as a whole.

Hayley Rees

Board Member

Hayley leads the PIC Capital team within Investments. The team has responsibility for sourcing and managing private assets through both debt and equity, which enables purposeful investments that secure the pensions of our policyholders and makes a difference for generations to come. This includes assets such as GPA First Street, Wirral Waters, the UK’s largest urban regeneration project and up to £200m in UK retirement living joint venture with Octopus Real Estate.
Throughout her career Hayley has believed in enabling diverse environments in which everyone can thrive through sharing knowledge, networking and mentoring. Embedding this with the Retirement Living sector through WiRL will empower a sector that creates opportunities for those that work there and a great environment for residents.
Hayley was previously Head of Direct Investments at Legal and General, where she was responsible for the private debt portfolio supporting the annuity business. Hayley started her career at Barclays, originating and executing infrastructure assets.

Samantha Rowland FRICS

Board Member

Founder and Director – Healthcare Operational Living Advisors (HOLA)
Samantha has over 20 years of experience in the Healthcare and Senior Living sectors, specialising in a wide range of facilities including care homes, retirement villages, medical centres, and hospitals. She advises institutional, corporate and private investors primarily in the UK, offering consultancy, transactional services and demographic analysis and research on market needs for healthcare developments in addition to valuations. Samantha has worked closely with the likes of L&G, Abrdn, Aviva, Inspired Villages, Audley, Auriens, Investec, LifeStory, Citi, Assura, BlackRock, British Land and Octopus Healthcare for a number of years in addition to international funders and operators.

Samantha frequently presents at conferences and contributes to various industry publications and is a co-author of the RICS Information Paper on the Valuation of Independent Healthcare Properties in the UK. She has held key roles, including Chair of the RICS Trade Related Valuation Group, and is a Fellow of the RICS. Recently, she was appointed to the Board of Women in Retirement Living (WiRL) and contributed to the recent APPG Housing and Care for Older People – The Regeneration of Outdated Sheltered Housing and KTP on Age-inclusive design principles: Pioneering a new standard for later living.

Sharon Alexis-Wilson

Board Member

With a successful 25-year career in the social housing sector, Sharon is the Director of Retirement and Supported Living at award-winning housing association, Midland Heart. 
Responsible for the operational and strategic management of over 8,000 homes, Sharon also leads a high-profile £60 million modernisation programme which aims to rejuvenate Midland Heart’s retirement schemes across the region. Sharon is also responsible for the Supported Living and specialist accommodation portfolios, which both play an important role in housing young homeless people, families, and assisting tenants with special needs. Additionally, Sharon also oversees Midland Heart’s leasehold management and shared ownership strategy, alongside its Mutual portfolio.
Passionate about supporting and developing others, Sharon is the co-sponsor of Liberty, the company’s Disability Network, and is also a mentor to Black colleagues who are undertaking the Midland Heart Leadership Programme. Sharon has a passion for travel and enjoys exploring different continents. She also has a passion for coaching and mentoring those who aspires to further their career.

Charles Taylor

Director, Treasurer, Board Member

Charles works at Aspen Retirement as Development Director leading on the development of IRC’s in India and the UK.

He is proud to have been asked to be a member of the Board as the RL sector is something he is very passionate about. Charles can see a lot of opportunity for growth in the sector and is aware that there also needs to be a more diverse workforce in all levels and roles.

One of the attractions of the sector to Charles is that it has always felt more co-operative in approach with people willing to help each other, share insight and learning. Using these principles, he hopes to be able to work with fellow Board members and the wider membership to see a more diverse workforce through a strong network of both women and allies offering training, education and mentoring to bring new talent and ideas to the sector.

His delegated functions at WiRL are Finance and Events, Communication and PR so working with fellow Board members Charles will be initially looking at how to establish roots for WiRL to grow and run events where it can invite potential members and supporters to help grow a more diverse workforce in the sector.