CEO Today Magazine November 2018 Edition

executive insight www.ceotodaymagazine.com 52 Hafan Cymru is a charitable housing association that provides accommodation and support to women, men, their children and young people across Wales, offering a complete package of support provided to help people with a wide range of needs. Siân Morgan joined Hafan Cymru as Chief Executive on 4th January 2016, and she is ultimately responsible for all day-to-day management decisions and for implementing the business’s short and long-term plans on behalf of the Board of Management, whilst also acting as a direct liaison between the Board and Management of the Association. We spoke with Siân about Hafan Cymru’s beginnings, its cause, and the difference it makes for hundreds of lives across Wales. The foundation of Hafan Cymru in 1989 is quite inspirational – what can you tell us about its beginnings? Hafan Cymru was formed in 1989 as a Registered Social landlord. The business grew out of an initiative of the Women’s Aid movement in Wales at a time when refuge was the only form of accommodation or support for women living with domestic abuse. The business was and is one of the key leading providers of housing and support services across Wales for women, men and children experiencing violence against women and domestic abuse, and our mission then was to work to prevent abuse and homelessness and to promote the independence of those they supported through a range of individually tailored support interventions. Over the past 29 years, the business has needed to develop and expand from its original intent in order to respond to the changes in legislation and service needs. This has seen the business grow in terms of employees and contracts and the constitution changing to enable support services to be delivered to men facing domestic abuse. How has the company changed since then? The business now delivers over Siân Morgan CEO of Hafan Cymru