Afzal Ismail

Afzal is a chartered certified accountant (FCCA) and a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIHCM). He holds an honours degree in Mathematics and is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Auditors (CMIIA). Afzal joined Orbit when it had circa 20,000 homes and has played a pivotal role in Orbit’s merger and acquisition successes, which has seen Orbit grow to circa 46,500 homes today.

Having led on Orbit’s technology strategy over many years, Afzal’s role now primarily focuses on governance, assurance and regulatory matters. In this capacity, Afzal’s strategic role covers accountability and leadership for a number of key corporate areas, including all governance and company secretarial arrangements to support Orbit’s Group Board and sub committees, leading on all regulatory matters and providing assurance on the Group’s internal control environment and management of risk. Additionally, on behalf of the Executive Team, he provides independent reports on Group operational performance including property related H&S and Tenant Satisfaction Measures and, alongside GDPR compliance, ensures a robust policy environment to support delivery of front-line services.

On behalf of Orbit’s Executive Team, Afzal chairs Orbit’s Sustainability Steering Group, which leads on the delivery of Orbit’s Sustainability Strategy, and is Orbit’s nominated Health and Safety Lead under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, and reports compliance on all property related H&S matters. He is also the Executive Sponsor for several elements of the 2030 Strategy, including optimising Orbit’s geographical footprint through disposal, acquisitions and partnerships, and M&A opportunities.

Finally, Afzal has considerable experience at Board level as a Non-Executive Director (NED) in the NHS and housing, as well as chairing Audit Committees in his NED roles.