Anna Urbanowicz

Chair of Board

I qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in Liverpool in 1992, where I trained as an external auditor. My first move into the industry was to Royal Insurance, and its internal audit global team. I was fortunate enough to cover much of the UK and Northern Ireland, as well as visit several Caribbean islands, the US, and Australia. The Year 2000 saw me head south working as a Financial Systems Manager in the newly merged Royal & SunAlliance launch of Morethan in Sussex for a few years, before then moving on to working for the Swedish white goods manufacturer Electrolux, across their European, Middle East & Africa operations as Director for Management Assurance & Special Assignments. After taking a career break, I joined the regional construction group, Esh, as Head of Compliance & Governance, and subsequently progressed to the role of Director for Internal Controls. 

Overall, my career has been focused on external & internal audit, as well as all aspects of risk management.

My father was a refugee to England after WWII, and we faced many challenges both here and in our family in Poland. I learned that safe housing, good sanitation, access to education and a secure job were critical success factors for wellbeing and have shaped me as an adult. The phrase everything starts in the home is the crux of what working in social housing means to me. Providing a safe, secure, and high-quality home at all ages enables people to thrive and live their best lives. I believe that all children deserve the best start in life, and only with a healthy, permanent home will they be able to succeed in education and build a healthy future. North Star and other social housing providers are striving to invest in homes and deliver excellent services to our customers, helping to build thriving communities. I want to be part of that and help shape and deliver that vision.

I moved to a small rural village in the North East of England to take on a new role, but soon found this wasn't just a house, but my home, and I thoroughly embraced living in a small community. If people come together, we can make a big change in our community. I am honoured to be a founder member of a local charity that has built and continues to operate a Village Park for all to enjoy for the last 21 years. As you can imagine, I am the Treasurer as well as a Trustee.

I have always loved to travel and, in some ways, built a career around travelling. Being paid to do overseas assignments was brilliant. I now just travel for pleasure.

A lesser known part of me, loves to provide a great outdoor natural experience for rescue guinea pigs!