Executive team
Shaun Holdcroft
Head of Affordable Homes
Shaun Holdcroft has worked in the affordable housing sector for almost 20 years. He joined L&G’s Affordable Homes Division from Settle. As Executive Director, he was in charge of all services to customers and property, looking after 200 staff and c.£50m of revenue.
Prior to this, he was Director of Resident Services London and Commercial Portfolios at Hyde Housing Group and Head of Housing at Southwark Council. Alongside a track record of establishing strong performing teams, he has eight years’ experience working at boardroom level.
In addition, Shaun holds the following responsibilities on behalf of L&G Affordable Homes’ Registered Providers:
Health & Safety Lead
Regulator of Social Housing’s Consumer Standards Lead
Member responsible for Complaints, as required under the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code
Catherine Raynsford
MD of Stock Acquisitions
Catherine is responsible for L&G’s strategy to partner with traditional registered providers and acquire large scale affordable housing portfolios. This strategy accelerates the growth of the L&G Affordable Homes business, and at the same time will support not for profit Registered Providers looking to recapitalise. The strategy includes acquiring homes in need of green retrofit, helping to accelerate positive environmental impact and improving customer outcomes by making homes warmer and less costly to run.
Catherine has over 20 years of sector experience. She was a Director at The Hyde Group, where she led the establishment of an investment function and spearheaded their delivery of affordable housing in partnerships with institutional capital.
Her prior experience also includes a senior client-facing role at JLL and development and investment positions in housing providers.
Catherine is vice chair of the BPF’s Affordable Housing Committee.
Gareth Francis
Corporate Finance Director (Funding)
Gareth leads the Finance function at L&G Affordable Homes, with responsibility for financial strategy, funding, treasury, financial planning, reporting and business partnering across the organisation.
Gareth has over 25 years’ experience in treasury, corporate finance and capital markets. He joined L&G Affordable Homes in 2021 and has played a leading role in securing funding solutions that support the growth of the organisation and the delivery of affordable homes across the UK. As a member of the executive team, he has helped shape the business’s financial strategy and supported its growth into a leading developer and operator of affordable housing.
Before joining L&G, Gareth was Director of Treasury and Corporate Finance at Clarion Housing Group, where he led major funding transactions and supported the successful merger of Affinity Sutton and Circle Housing. Prior to that, he held senior treasury and relationship management roles at THFC and Ford Credit Europe. Throughout his career, Gareth has worked across complex financing, corporate structuring and investment programmes, helping organisations secure long-term capital and deliver sustainable growth.
Peter Cross
Chief Operating Officer
Peter has 24 years of experience within the finance and real estate sectors and has held senior roles in M&A, portfolio integration and optimisation, operating platform build out and business strategy implementation.
He has significant experience across the residential, student and industrial real estate sectors and has worked with Blackstone, CPPIB and GIC in previous roles.
Anette Simpson
Director of Development and Partnership
Anette Simpson is Director of Developments and Partnerships at L&G Affordable Homes (LGAH), which was established in 2018 to increase the supply, quality and choice of affordable housing in the UK by investing long-term institutional capital into the affordable housing sector.
Anette is responsible for leading and coordinating the development and delivery of L&G’s affordable housing schemes and oversees all aspects of development to legal completion. Anette is also responsible for sustainability at LGAH and overseeing the strategy to deliver Net Zero Carbon homes in operation by 2030.
Anette has experience in delivering complex residential-led projects in partnership with others and believes passionately in the delivery of high-quality sustainable places, buildings and homes that leave a positive legacy. Previously Anette was Group Director of Planning at Capital & Counties PLC and Head of Development at First Base. A chartered urban planner, Anette is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and holds a masters degree in Urban Design.
Karen Heaney
Director of Customer, Property and Platform
Karen has extensive experience in working in affordable housing over the last 38 years in all housing management strategic and operation areas. She initially worked with Glasgow Housing Association supporting the largest stock transfer from Glasgow City Council then joined Home Group, latterly as Director of Asset Management and Regeneration.
She had a short spell as COO at NCG, a national group of colleges before joining L&G in January 2020.
Cathy Small
Head of Governance, Regulation and Legal Services
Cathy Small leads governance, regulation and legal services for L&G Affordable Homes. She is responsible for supporting effective governance, legal oversight and regulatory compliance across the business and its Registered Provider entities, in addition to overseeing risk management and data protection services.
Cathy has over 10 years’ experience advising Registered Providers in the affordable housing sector. Prior to her current role, Cathy was senior legal counsel for the business which she joined from Trowers & Hamlins LLP, where she practised in the Housing and Regeneration team. She is a solicitor admitted in England and Wales.