When Joe Coogan left his role as Kisharon’s Director of Operations in October 2015, he was invited to stay on as a Trustee in order to still benefit from his expertise.

With years of experience in social care, Joe is an undisputed master of supported housing, council procedures and technical know-how.

Only recently, he explained to Kisharon’s senior team the implications of the government’s decision to sustain rents at higher levels for those in supported living. “I took a keen interest in this. It was good news. Had it gone the other way, any Kisharon plans for supported living developments might not have been possible.”

At Kisharon, he moved supported living from loss making to break-even point by securing greater statutory income.

Now providing social care services in Essex and West Sussex as Director of Operations at ECL, Joe said: “My ethos is the same as Kisharon’s which is all about providing customer-centered care with the focus on quality, not profit.”

He joined Kisharon after meeting Chief Executive Beverley Jacobson on a leadership course. “She inspired me with her vision and passion and when a vacancy came up at Kisharon, I applied and got the job.”

Living in Upminster, in Essex, the long commute to Hendon became unsustainable, and the journey can keep him from Kisharon’s trustee meetings. “But I do read the papers, send through questions and add value wherever I can.”

The move to a more local job lets Joe spend extra time with his partner Steph and their two sporty daughters, Clare, seven, a keen kickboxer and nine-year-old Rebecca, a talented and dedicated swimmer who is proud to represent the borough of Romford.