Repairs & maintenance leaders who get the job done

About

Russell is an executive director and consultant with over 20 years in social housing and property services, specialising in property consultancy and interim management. He leads strategic transformations, manages complex operations and drives business growth, with a track record of large-scale projects, multimillion-pound budgets and diverse teams delivering in challenging, transitional environments. A strategic thinker with an agile, front-of-house style, he rapidly assesses what an organisation needs, shapes a bespoke plan and executes it, lifting operational efficiency, compliance and customer satisfaction. He is the founder and CEO of Direct Works Group and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building.

How Russell works

Russell leads from the front. He builds cooperation and teamwork, adapts quickly to new environments and keeps teams focused on the overarching goal. His work spans asset management, compliance, sustainability and decarbonisation, and systems-enabled service transformation, translating the capability of mobile working, scheduling and CRM platforms into practical operational, process and workforce change.

Career highlights

• Founder and CEO of Direct Works Group, and Chair of a 65-organisation membership body for DLOs
• Over 20 years leading property services at Executive Director level across social housing
• Interim Executive Director of Property for a high-profile ALMO, leading stabilisation and recovery across a £55M+ property portfolio at Board level
• Former Managing Director of a national property management business: circa £151M of budgets and a team of over 1,000
• Former Executive Director of Assets and of Property Services for a 34,000-home group, responsible for £1bn of assets and a 30-year investment programme
• Extensive interim and consultancy track record: DLO diagnostics, repairs recovery, compliance and building safety, asset investment and disposals
• Systems-enabled transformation across mobile working, dynamic scheduling and CRM platforms (ROCC Uniclass, DRS, Total Mobile, Salesforce)
• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building (FCIOB); non-executive board experience

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About

Mike helps social housing landlords diagnose and recover underperforming repairs and maintenance services. He is the Group Operations Director at Direct Works Group and, through TRISTAR, provides rapid operational diagnostics and targeted intervention. Across more than 35 years he has led in-house maintenance services and supported housing organisations the length of the country, including as a former DLO Director, and his guiding principle is simple: the quality of the diagnosis determines the quality of the outcome.

How Mike works

When a repairs service comes under pressure, the temptation is to restructure, recruit, add KPIs, change systems or commission another review. Mike starts somewhere different, by understanding what is really happening and why. Diagnose the issue, develop a practical plan, deliver measurable results. No unnecessary complexity, no lengthy programmes where they are not needed, just focused, independent operational support that helps leaders see the priorities that matter and decide what needs to change. Diagnosis before prescription.

Career highlights

• Group Operations Director, Direct Works Group, and founder of TRISTAR operational diagnostics
• Former DLO Director, with over 35 years leading and recovering in-house repairs and maintenance services across the UK
• Interim Property Services Director for a major housing provider, leading a large-scale DLO transformation across circa £45M of maintenance activity
• Interim Commercial Director creating a new DLO for responsive, void and electrical work
• A range of senior and interim roles with housing associations, ALMOs and local authorities across the UK
• FCIH, with a Postgraduate Diploma in Housing Policy and Practice

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About

Chris is a highly analytical operations, finance and performance specialist who helps landlords review, modernise and improve their in-house repairs and maintenance services, with DLOs a particular speciality. He combines data modelling, financial analysis and business intelligence with hands-on transformation delivery, working alongside strategic and operational leads to find value-for-money savings, redesign processes and lift performance. His background runs from public-sector audit, including the Audit Commission, through to leading the transformation of direct-delivery maintenance functions carrying longstanding cultural, financial and performance issues. Alongside this he is currently supporting a London local authority on repairs, maintenance and Awaab's Law.

Career highlights

• Analytical operations, finance and performance specialist, with deep expertise in data modelling, benchmarking and value-for-money analysis
• Has led the transformation of direct-delivery maintenance functions carrying significant cultural, financial and performance issues
• Delivered R&M options appraisals, service reviews and in-house mobilisations, including redesigning financial structures, budgeting and monthly reporting
• Specified and implemented mobile working and dynamic scheduling systems, with new workforce-productivity metrics
• Currently supporting a London local authority on repairs, maintenance and Awaab's Law, including Phase 1 delivery and the Phase 2 framework
• Background in public-sector audit and performance information, including the Audit Commission

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About

Richard is a property, compliance and asset management specialist with more than 25 years in social housing, and a particular strength in building safety and fire remediation. He is trusted to step into services that are under pressure and get a grip quickly, from the big six compliance areas and HHSRS through to fire risk assessments, cladding, fire doors and Building Safety Cases. Alongside that he has led DLO reviews and transformations, major planned and capital programmes and complex procurement, at interim director and head of service level. He runs his own asset management consultancy.

Career highlights

• More than 25 years in social housing property, compliance and asset management, at interim director, assistant director and head of service level
• Building safety specialist: registered high-rise blocks with the Building Safety Regulator, produced Building Safety Cases, and delivered fire door, compartmentation, cladding and retrofit sprinkler programmes
• Turned around compliance functions across the big six and HHSRS, taking services to full compliance within months and rebuilding assurance and reporting
• Led DLO reviews and transformations, including setting up new in-house delivery companies and Teckal arrangements, with TUPE and union consultation
• Delivered major planned, capital and decent homes programmes, and complex M&E and repairs procurement using NEC3, JCT and framework routes
• Founder of his own asset management consultancy; MCIOB, and a Direct Works steering group member

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Phil is an asset management and property maintenance leader with over 40 years' experience, having operated at senior level across both the public and private sectors delivering holistic asset management and integrated housing services. Most recently he was Managing Director of Riverside Property Services at The Riverside Group. Phil has a real passion for innovation, transformation and change, and has led many projects implementing new technology, developing services and improving efficiency and effectiveness. He is also an experienced non-executive.

Career highlights

• Former Managing Director, Riverside Property Services (The Riverside Group)
• Over 40 years in asset management and property maintenance at senior level, across public and private sectors
• Has led numerous technology, service-development and efficiency transformation projects
• Committee member of the NHMF and a Direct Works steering group member
• Member of the Proptech Innovators Network, supporting collaboration and best practice across sectors
• Experienced non-executive director

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About

Liz has spent over 30 years in social housing, most of it putting repairs, maintenance and asset management services back on track. She works at Director, Assistant Director and Head of Service level and is used to being brought in when a service needs to improve, and improve quickly. What she offers on an interim brief is pace and evidence: she gets under the data, works out what is actually driving performance, and turns that into decisions a team can act on and a board can sign off. Her background is analytical and operational in equal measure, and she now runs her own consultancy taking on service reviews, performance and KPI design, compliance work and interim leadership at short notice.

How Liz works

Liz gets the best out of teams by being clear about what good looks like and then backing people to deliver it. She is as comfortable in front of tenants, contractors and funders as she is with a board, and gives all of them the same honest picture of where a service stands. She spots risk early and puts resources where they matter most, whether that is building safety, compliance or sustainability, kept joined up to the wider asset management plan. Her aim on any assignment is simple: to leave the service in a better and more measurable place than she found it.

Career highlights

• Over 30 years in social housing at Director, Assistant Director and Head of Service level, specialising in repairs, maintenance and asset management
• Founder and Director of her own repairs, maintenance and asset management consultancy
• Has managed budgets up to £29M and workforces of hundreds of staff and contractors
• Cut void and repair turnaround times and rebuilt KPI frameworks to drive the right behaviour, not just report activity
• Taken services in-house through TUPE to reduce contractor reliance and improve consistency
• Secured energy-efficiency funding through Homes England, SHDF and Warmer Homes to meet EPC C targets
• Deep regulatory grip across the RSH Consumer Standards, Awaab's Law and the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code
• Chartered member of the CIH (CIHCM); Direct Works steering group member

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About

Chris is Direct Works Group's artificial intelligence specialist, and the person to talk to when AI feels like noise. Everyone has an opinion on what AI can and cannot do; Chris cuts through the hype and explains it in a way that is genuinely clear and easy to follow. He helps repairs and maintenance teams work out where AI can actually help, where it cannot, and what a sensible first step looks like, all without the jargon or the sales pitch.

How Chris helps

• Plain-English guidance on what AI is, and is not, useful for in repairs and maintenance
• An honest, independent view that cuts through the hype and the sales talk
• Practical help spotting realistic, low-risk first steps and use cases
• A friendly sounding board for teams and leaders who want to get started but are not sure where to begin

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