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.

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.

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.

Shandi Petersen

Director, Board Member

Shandi seeks to bring heart and humanity to everything she does – very much including business. With Conscious Catalyst, she engages with each client’s unique needs and experiences, championing individuals and organisations to explore their potential and make conscious change.
Shandi has worked across health and wellbeing, social care, and education in the UK, Europe, Asia, and North America. She holds an MSSc in social psychology, with a focus on empathy, intersectionality, and an inclusive moral universe. Previously ARCO’s Deputy Director, she has 10+ years’ experience in the Integrated Retirement Community sector.

Shandi has had a lifelong passion for egalitarianism and diversity, and has a deep and abiding respect for all beings and the interconnectedness of life. One of WiRL’s founders, she’s also on the Analytics, Appointments, and Membership sub-committees.

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

Head of Healthcare and Senior Living, BNP Paribas Real Estate, United Kingdom
Samantha has more than 20 years’ specialist experience in the Healthcare and Senior Living sectors, from extra care/assisted living including retirement villages, elderly and specialist care homes, special schools, children’s homes, secure units, medical centres and hospitals. A pre-eminent advisor to both private and institutional clients, Samantha has worked closely with the likes of L&G, Abrdn, Aviva, Inspired Villages, Audley, Auriens, Investec, LifeStory, Citi, Assura, BlackRock and Octopus Healthcare for a number of years in addition to international funders and operators. Her breadth of experience covers advisory and transactional together with valuation of healthcare property assets including annual portfolio valuations.

Kate Smith

Board Member

Kate is Chief Executive of Connexus.
Kate has held senior roles in a number of housing organisations, including as Executive Director of Business Services at Anchor, Executive Director of Corporate Services at BPHA, and Group Corporate Services Director at Southern Housing Group. Kate also sits as a NED on the Pension Committee for Southern and has served on several Boards.
Kate is passionate about diversity, inclusion and the raising the voices of the care and housing workforce. Kate aims to raise this voice through pushing forward awareness of the purpose and activities of WiRL and though increasing our membership.

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.