Finance Director

We are pleased to introduce Andrew Thompson as the new Finance Director for Durham Aged Mineworkers’ Homes Association.

The 43-year-old joined DAMHA in September after serving his notice period for his former employer, Karbon Homes where he was Assistant Director – Treasury.

Andrew is no stranger to DAMHA, having served on its Board of Trustees since 2022. However, he had to resign from this position before applying for the post of Finance Director. A full, open, and transparent recruitment selection process was then followed before Andrew discovered he had been successful.

Andrew has worked in finance his whole career – spanning over 20 years. After leaving university and becoming a qualified accountant, he worked for different manufacturing companies before joining the development arm of Northumberland County Council.

In 2015, Andrew then joined Derwentside Homes which subsequently merged with two other housing associations in 2017 to become Karbon Homes.

In his new role as part of the Senior Management Team, Andrew is responsible for determining DAMHA’s financial strategy, as well as preparing monthly management and statutory accounts, He also has specific responsibility for IT and Procurement.

Andrew says: “Trying to combine the importance of family, community and helping people enjoy life with access to good quality homes are such important factors and so I am excited about taking up a role at an organisation whose ethos aligns with my own.

“We know that energy efficiency performance and providing safe and comfortable homes that meet the needs of future customers is one of the biggest challenges facing the sector. I am looking forward to playing my part in helping DAMHA do that through upgrading our current homes, taking an opportunity to build new homes, or offering more services to other almshouses too, where possible.

“Working as a small team at DAMHA, we can offer a more personalised service, really understand customer’s needs, and try to balance this with our financial capacity. I know that my other colleagues also have customers at the centre of their minds too, which means we are all pulling in the same direction and that is so important within a successful team with everyone playing their own part.”

Paul Mullis, DAMHA Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to have been able to attract someone of Andrew’s calibre to this role.

“He has tremendous experience and will play an important role as we continue to offer high quality services to our residents and seek new development opportunities in the future.”