Housing Finance Corporation strengthens executive team

The Housing Finance Corporation has expanded its leadership team with the appointment of three senior directors, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable investment and strategic growth across the UK’s social and affordable housing sector.

The new joiners are Karin Erlander as senior director for credit, Susan Bailey as senior director for finance, and Andrea Jelic as senior director for capital markets. Together they bring decades of experience across housing finance, debt capital markets and corporate financial management. THFC said the appointments strengthen its ability to deliver innovative, long-term funding solutions at a time when investor appetite for social and affordable housing continues to grow.

Chief executive Priya Nair said the hires come at a pivotal time for the organisation and the wider sector. “We are delighted to welcome such highly respected and tenured professionals to The Housing Finance Corporation at a time of continued evolution and opportunity for the affordable housing sector,” she said. “Their combined experience will support our mission to provide stable, sustainable financing for affordable homes across the UK.”

Karin Erlander, senior director, credit at THFC joined in November and brings 25 years of credit analysis experience spanning utilities, infrastructure, consumer sectors and health care. She spent 18 years at S&P Global Ratings, where in recent years she focused on social housing providers, universities and local authorities. 

“I’m excited to join THFC at such a pivotal time,” she said. “I look forward to applying my credit analysis skills and deep sector knowledge to help support the group’s mission.”

Bailey, a chartered accountant, will join in December. She has more than 30 years’ experience leading teams in financial services, commercial organisations and the not-for-profit sector. Her previous roles include bank financial controller at Close Brothers and group finance director at the Institution of Civil Engineers. She also serves on the finance committee of Action for Children.

“I am delighted to be joining THFC and look forward to supporting the group’s strategic growth agenda,” she said.

Jelic will join in early 2026 and will oversee financing strategy, investor relations, rating agency engagement and stakeholder relationships. She brings more than 16 years of debt capital markets experience from roles at HSBC, RBC and Nomura, advising major UK and European public sector institutions on bond issuance programmes.

“I am delighted to be joining THFC,” she said. “The institution is uniquely positioned to support UK affordable housing and I look forward to contributing to its growth at a critical time for the sector.”

THFC currently supports more than 145 housing associations across the country and manages a loan book approaching £8bn. The organisation said the appointments reflect its ongoing focus on resilience, innovation and long-term funding for the social and affordable housing sector.

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