Curo board member Aileen Evans has been awarded an OBE for services to social housing in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2026.
Aileen has spent her whole career working in the housing sector, starting as a Neighbourhood Housing Manager at Nottingham City Council. Most recently, as Chief Executive of Grand Union Housing Group, she led a transformation programme which championed customers and raised ambitions – proving, in Aileen’s words, that “we can innovate and be deeply human”.
Aileen is the co-founder SHOUT — the national campaign for social housing. At a time when social housing was being talked down, SHOUT made the moral, financial and political case for genuinely affordable homes.
As President of the Chartered Institute of Housing, she was a passionate advocate for those who make social housing work. In her current role as Vice Chair of CIH, she chairs the Governance, Ethics & Remuneration Committee and remains committed to professionalising and elevating our sector.
She also led #Shinealight, a mental health campaign that raised significant funds for Mind and opened up honest conversations about wellbeing in our sector.
She has worked alongside government departments to influence housing policy and is an Associate at Disruptive Innovators Network.
Aileen has been a Curo Board member since March 2025 and is Chair of the Customer Experience Committee. She is Chair of Northamptonshire Partnership Homes, one of the country’s largest ALMOs, and also works with newly registered Church Housing Association.
Jane Tabor, Chair of Curo’s board, said “We are delighted that Aileen is receiving this recognition of her immense contribution to our sector. She is an articulate and wise champion of the importance of affordable, good quality homes - always advocating from a customer perspective - and is a highly valued member of our board and a great colleague – we could not be more proud!”
Aileen commented “I was overwhelmed when I received the letter telling me I had been nominated for this honour. I was surprised and deeply grateful - to be honest, it hasn’t properly sunk in yet!
“I have been privileged to work in housing for many years, and I want to pay tribute to each person in the sector working hard to make sure that everyone has a safe, healthy and genuinely affordable place to call home.”
