

Professor David Russell, Pro
Vice-Chancellor and Dean of
Business Law & Social Sciences at
the University of Derby, will lead
the board – which includes
seven other members, each
bringing a range of experience - to
shape the future direction of our
organisation.
Professor Russell joins emh group
at a time when we have significant
investment plans, a range of
developments in housing and
care, and are recognised as a high
performing, influential housing
group, both regionally and nationally.
Prior to joining the University of
Derby in May 2015, Professor
Russell was deputy dean in the
Faculty of Business and Law at De
Montfort University and has a
significant range of experience in
governance and finance.
Local university dean joins
board as Chairman
We have appointed a new Chairman to the emh group board.
Professor Russell’s appointment
will mark the farewell of the
board’s former chair.
Professor Jeff Knight retired as
chairman after a four-year
tenure, in which he oversaw
some of the largest changes in
emh group’s 70 year history.
Group chief executive, Chan Kataria,
said:
“Jeff made a real difference
to our organisation and I would like
to thank him for his valuable
contribution to the group. We are
sad to see him leave but he has
handed the reins to a man in
whom I have every confidence will
take emh group to new heights.
I look forward to working with
Professor Russell, who has the skills
we need to implement our vision
for the future.”
“I’m honoured by this new appointment and look forward to
working with the emh group board to improve the
organisation’s performance and offering to its customers.
The organisation is stronger than it’s ever been and has an
exciting future ahead of it, providing homes and care
services to the region.”
Professor Russell
L-R / Professor David Russell and former Chairman Professor Jeff Knight
We have now gone live with
the first phase of our new repairs
IT system, Service Connect. It
promises to modernise and create
efficiencies within the service
that we deliver.
It helps the way we book and
schedule our appointments
so that your repair is carried out
by the operative closest to you
with the right skills and
provides warning flags to our
team to help minimise the risks
of us failing to attend.
The system will also help us to
manage our contractors more
effectively as they will be providing
regular updates through the new
contractor portal. By increasing
the accountability of each
contractor, we believe Service
Connect will deliver a better
customer service experience and
you will be able to provide direct
feedback on any work undertaken
at your home.
We are constantly working to
improve this service, and soon we
will be able to send you updates
via text or email for appointment
confirmations, reminders and
notifications when an operative is
on route.
You will find that Service Connect
enables a more flexible and
reliable appointments service,
and the efficiencies we make will
be reinvested into emh group
services.
Service Connect
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NEWS