Meet our Chief Officer Group

Nicholas Harris

Chief Executive

Nicholas became Stonewater’s CEO in 2016, having been chief executive of Raglan Housing Association since January 2010.

Previous to this, he held the CEO position at Raven Housing Trust for seven years and was also Group Operations Director for the Swaythling Housing Group for seven years.

He has extensive experience in both the social housing sector and local authorities and considerable knowledge of socio-economic regeneration matters.

Jonathan Layzell

Chief Officer for Customer Experience and Growth

Jonathan has an extensive background in delivering new homes, with a particular personal interest in rural housing and the long-term sustainability of rural communities. He is also passionate about how Registered Providers can use investment in new homes to support the growth of the construction sector and the wider economy.
 
Jonathan is responsible for the strategic delivery of Stonewater’s housing development programmes, including the implementation of innovative affordable rental and shared ownership schemes. Stonewater’s development programme is strong, ambitious, and among the largest in the sector.
 
In July 2024, Jonathan’s role was expanded to include leadership of the Customer Experience Directorate. He continues to lead both Development and Customer Experience while we actively recruit for a new chief officer.
 
He has a wealth of experience in delivering transformational change within the social housing sector and has worked as Stonewater’s Executive Sponsor for Equality and Diversity. His extensive expertise in social housing and commitment to social purpose ensure Stonewater delivers positive outcomes for its customers.

Patrick Chauvin

Chief Officer Safety, Assets and Sustainability

Patrick is a highly experienced property and asset management professional. He has held senior management positions across a range of disciplines within the housing sector, including Director of Asset Services at Amicus Horizon and Head of Strategic Portfolio at Circle.

He’s a qualified building surveyor with extensive experience in housing and construction. His career began in private practice, working for high profile clients on construction projects.

From there he moved into the housing sector, working on City Challenge in Newham. He then held a number of senior positions within Home Group, one of the largest housing associations in the UK. From there he moved to Amicus Horizon and was part of the Executive Management Team that transformed it into one of the highest performing organisations. He was then appointed to a senior position within Circle Housing as Head of Strategic Portfolio and was subsequently appointed Head of Neighbourhood Planning for Clarion Housing Group, the largest Housing Association in the UK.

Anne Costain

Chief Financial Officer

Anne is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Corporate Treasurer. She has worked in housing for over 10 years at a senior level.

Before working in housing, Anne worked in manufacturing for a number of organisations from SME to Fortune 500 and FTSE 250 – latterly as Finance Director for De la Rue in their Currency and Supply Chain division.

Gareth Lloyd

Chief Information and Transformation Officer

Gareth joined Stonewater as Chief Information & Transformation Officer in 2023, bringing 18 years' experience as a CIO, COO and CDO in both the private and public sectors, working in the UK and internationally. He has previously served as a non-executive director for a social housing group in the South West.

His experience includes high profile data programmes, sustainable digital transformation, Internet of Things programmes and Mergers and Acquisitions.  He has a keen interest in using tech and data for social good.