Vanessa James – Chair
Vanessa is a City based Employment Law Partner at Trowers & Hamlins, with over 20 years’ experience advising employers, boards and high net worth individuals on employment and related governance matters. Vanessa’s expert knowledge covers employment law, inclusion and diversity, HR, Union matters (disputes, strike ballots, collective bargaining), general litigation and dispute resolution (including High Court), board governance and she has expertise across several sectors (including charities, supported housing, healthcare, financial services, construction, further education, and retail catering/ hospitality).
Throughout her practice, Vanessa has regularly written or contributed to articles (which has seen her appear in publications such as The Times, Personnel Today, HR Magazine and The Telegraph) and received various acknowledgements and rankings for her work through Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.
Vanessa has 15 years of non-executive director experience where she has sat as a trustee for the boards of Riversmeade Housing Association (Network Housing) and Westminster University, before taking up the role of the Chair of Hyelm in 2020.
Liliana Shanbhag
Liliana brings over 15 years of experience in residential development and investment, with a particular focus on intermediate affordable housing and Build to Rent. A Chartered Surveyor trained in Planning and Development, she is committed to mentoring the next generation of professionals, serving as an APC Counsellor and Assessor.
Liliana has a multidisciplinary background and holds an MA(Cantab) in Architecture, an MPhil in Real Estate Finance and an MSc in Climate Change and Development. She is also an Associate of ISEP. Her experience spans both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors, giving her a broad perspective on how to deliver positive social outcomes through housing investment.
Liliana joined HYELM as a Board Member Trainee in early 2024 and was appointed Trustee in March 2025. In her current role, she serves as the Board’s Safeguarding Lead, championing the organisation’s commitment to resident welfare and safe, inclusive communities.
David Capel
David is a Chartered Surveyor (MRICS) and Chartered Builder (MCIOB) with extensive experience in construction and development, predominantly within the residential sector.
David is a Director at Hunters a ‘Building Top 150 Consultant’ practice and SME, overseeing the Building Consultancy team. David has strong professional networks and relationships with a demonstrable track record of delivering complex large-scale regeneration, new-build and refurbishment projects from inception to completion. David is an affordable housing specialist with expertise working alongside Registered Providers, local authorities and not-for-profit organisations to provide affordable homes in all forms including general needs, extra care, keyworker and student housing.
David is passionate about supporting the next generation and heads up Hunters Social Value strategy, ensuring the practice demonstrates a visible impact in key areas including volunteering, community engagement and charitable work. David is also an RICS APC Supervisor, Counsellor and Assessor, providing mentoring and guidance to support graduates through to chartered status.
Andy Brainin
Andy is experienced finance professional and a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He has a background in ESG investing and a keen interest in natural capital. He co-founded Biofarm to commercialise and scale habitat restoration in the UK, in order to combat the recent, dramatic decline in the country’s biodiversity. Before founding Biofarm, he spent six years at KPMG within the Management Consulting division, specialising in Finance Function Re-organisation, Transformation Programme Management and Risk Management for banks and insurance companies. In 2013 he co-founded South Hill Capital and has been instrumental in growing the company into an international, multi-sector real estate investment portfolio and asset management business.
Febechi Chukwu
Febechi is a solicitor with over a decade of experience working in law firms and international companies as a commercial lawyer, advising on energy and infrastructure contracts and projects. He is currently in-house counsel for a leading global power company where he advises on commercial structures, sales contracts and other commercial agreements, compliance, and general governance. Experience has taught him that things don’t always go to plan and that unfortunately everyone has a different starting line in life.
He is keen to support initiatives that promote social mobility, having been drawn to the mission of HYELM as an organization that helps young working professionals, including in particular key workers, find reasonable accommodation in Central London to enable them to pursue their careers. As an enthusiastic member of the board of HYELM, he supports with the governance of the organization, the management of risks and strategic development to ensure the continued success of HYELM.
Rhiannon Meredith
Coming Soon
Joel Inbakumar
Coming Soon
Jayesh Doshi
Coming Soon
Jon Clowes
Coming Soon
Are you eligible?
74 of the 125 bed spaces are reserved for key workers. If you are a key worker, you can find out more and register your interest using the London Mayor’s Share to Buy website.
To be eligible for one of the remaining 51 places, you must meet the following criteria.
Please select all that apply.
You don't meet all our criteria, but we want to hear more from you. The next step is complete this short form.
Tell us moreYou meet the eligibility criteria, the next step is to complete our application form to make sure we are a good fit and book a tour.
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