Anne McGurk stepping down as Phoenix Chair of the Board

Phoenix’s second tenant Chair announced she will be stepping down at this year’s annual general meeting (AGM) after five years championing resident involvement and leadership as Chair of the Board.  

Anne McGurk was elected as Chair of Phoenix in September 2016. Prior to that, she was involved with the former Phoenix Residents Group and chaired the group from 2012-13.  

Anne said: “It has been a pleasure to see Phoenix grow as the tenant Chair of Phoenix for the past five years - from completing our decent homes standard and starting our development programme, to the growing resilience of staff and residents who championed our model during the pandemic.  

“Becoming the second tenant Chair of Phoenix shows that the resident-led model works and I look forward to working with our next tenant Chair. As long as residents continue to be listened to, Phoenix will thrive.” 

Anne’s successor will be confirmed at our Board meeting in September, and our rules remain that the Chair must be a Phoenix tenant. 

Tenant Board Member, Peace Ayiku-Nartey, also announced that she will be stepping down from the Board. Peace re-joined the Phoenix Board in 2018, after previously serving on the Board from 2014-2015.  

Peace said: “It has been a joy to be on the Phoenix Board. I would encourage all residents to think about how they can use their voice to ensure we are always resident-led.” 

Residents approved the minutes of last year’s meeting, accepted the annual report and approved the re-appointment of KPMG as external auditors.  

Residents also put questions to senior management around creating a community we’re proud of, fly tipping, resuming in-person resident groups and the re-opening of The Fellowship.  

Jim Ripley, Chief Executive of Phoenix Community Housing said: “I am always so proud to see how many residents care about their AGM. Each year, we hear from new voices and are challenged to think differently. Phoenix is about the stories people tell, good and bad.” 

We’re resident-led which means there are lots of ways for residents to get involved and have their say all year round. Residents can get involved by becoming a shareholding member or by keeping an eye out for consultation events on our event page.