Meet Our Board
Our success is driven by a passionate and committed Board who are unpaid and have been selected for their expertise and skill set.
As a collective, they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of our mission.
The Board plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of our organisation and is ultimately responsible for the strategic direction and for holding the Chief Executive to account, to ensure that Solo is well run and operating in line with its purpose.
Pete Goddard (Chair)
Date Appointed: 17 February 2023
Pete joined Solo as Chair with 25 years’ experience in social housing as a lawyer and as a non-executive.
In 2021 he retired as a Partner at Birkett’s solicitors, where he had led the Social Housing Team for over 15 years.
He has previously been a Board Member and Committee Chair of both Hereward and Sanctuary Hereward Housing Associations and has also been Chair of Norwich City Council’s Housing Improvement Board.
In the past he has also been a shadow board member of a prospective LSVT housing Association and is currently a member of the Norwich Diocese Church Buildings Commission.
Tracey Dowse (Vice Chair)
Date Appointed: 23 May 2022
Tracey has worked in housing for many years in a variety of roles, both in local government and housing associations, including working as a Homelessness Prevention Officer for Solo several years ago. She has experience of all aspects of tenancy management, including rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, lettings, homelessness and benefits.
For over 10 years she has managed teams responsible for the tenancy management of large numbers of properties. Her most recent role was Head of Wellbeing and Partnerships for Saffron Housing Trust, responsible for the management of the supported and specialist accommodation.
Tracey is Chartered Institute of Housing qualified and was the Domestic Abuse and Adult Safeguarding lead for Saffron.
Sarah Fish (Chair of the Business Development Committee)
Date Appointed: 15 October 2020
Sarah is a Legal Director at Birketts LLP where she specialises in residential development work. She has over 12 years’ experience of advising national and regional housebuilders, housing associations and landowners on acquisitions, disposals and strategic development of land across the full lifecycle of residential schemes.
She has particular expertise in a wide range of affordable housing matters; s106 acquisitions, additionality, shared ownership leases, regulatory requirements, site assembly and charging portfolios.
Gareth Jacob
Date Appointed: 1 July 2026
Gareth has worked within the new build house building sector for over 30 years. Initially leading and driving sales and marketing teams within organisations such as Berkeley Homes and Weston Homes, to more recently Regional Managing Director roles for Taylor Wimpey, Countryside Partnerships and Lovell Partnerships.
Working within partnerships businesses has extended his knowledge and experiences of working alongside Social Housing providers, he therefore has extensive expertise in planning, constructing, and delivering new housing developments, providing homes and place making for all sectors of the wider community.
Omar Morsy
Date Appointed: 1 October 2026
Omar is currently a Board Observer and will become a Solo Board Member on the date of appointment shown.
With over 20 years’ experience in senior people leadership roles across the technology and media sectors, Omar is currently Chief People Officer and Board Director at STRYDE, a seismic technology business with operations across the UK, US, Norway and the Middle East.
Omar holds an MSc in Human Resources and works closely with executive teams, bringing a people and organisational perspectives to some of the most significant strategic and business decisions. As a Board Director, he also brings experience of governance, organisational strategy and supporting businesses through significant periods of change. He is passionate about creating organisations where people can thrive, and where strong leadership and effective governance support sustainable performance.
Alton Nutile (Chair of the Finance & Investment Committee)
Date Appointed: 1 April 2024
Alton was previously the finance and operations director for an East of England-based property and land business consultancy and agency firm, and joined the board of Solo Housing in April 2024 to provide strategic financial and commercial insight from the corporate world into the social housing sector.
He is a Chartered Global Management Accountant, a Fellow Member of the Chartered Management Institute, and a Practitioner of the Chartered Quality Institute.
Alongside his work with Solo Housing, Alton was previously the vice-chairperson of Community Action Norfolk, a rural charity supporting the wellbeing and welfare of rural communities, and is also currently a school governor at City2Coast Primary Federation and a board member of the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, championing business success in the East of England.
Stephen Peattie (Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee)
Date of Appointment: 1 July 2024
Stephen joined Solo with over 12 years of experience in helping a number of social housing organisations improve the way they work for the benefit of the customer and the organisation.
He is a founding Director of Kinetic GB, a transformation management consultancy, for over 20 years and has worked with numerous organisations across multiple sectors during that time.
Deb Self
Date of Appointment: 1 April 2026
Deb is an experienced HR and Transformation Leader who has spent more than two decades partnering with boards and senior leadership teams to navigate complex organisational, structural, and cultural change. Her work spans multiple sectors and includes deep expertise in people strategy, organisational design, and operating model development ensuring capability, culture, and governance are aligned to strategic ambition.
Alongside her executive career, Deb is a Leadership and Team Coach, supporting individuals and teams to grow in ways that strengthen performance, confidence, and connection. Her background in operational HR and recruitment is complemented by specialist experience advising reward and remuneration committees, giving her a well rounded understanding of board level people governance.
Deb is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and holds the Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching from Henley Business School.
Arnold Smith
Date of Appointment: 1 July 2026
Arnold has over 20 years’ experience in building safety, building surveying, compliance, and property risk management within the social housing sector. He is a Chartered Surveyor and Senior Project Manager with knowledge of fire safety, cladding, and improving standards across residential buildings.
He currently leads key safety programmes at a large housing association, focusing on resident safety and ensuring the organisation meets evolving legal and regulatory requirements.
Alongside his executive role, Arnold serves on the Premises Committee for Your Place Homeless Charity, providing advice on building safety and compliance.
Abraham Williams
Date Appointed: 1 April 2024
Abraham has over 10 years’ experience working across retail and commercial banking operations as well as enterprise development where he has been involved with conceptualising, designing and delivering business support programmes for early-stage businesses across diverse sectors.
He currently leads on enterprise development within strategic funding and partnerships at one of the largest housing associations in England. He holds a Masters degree in Supply Chain Management and a PhD in Environment/Energy.
