Pictured:  Joanne Antcliff

One of the largest housing associations in the West Midlands, The Accord Group, has appointed a new Group Procurement Manager.

Joanne Antcliff has nearly 20 years of experience in procurement and has previously worked for Carillion plc, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), KPMG and Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Dudley local authorities.

Joanne will lead on securing a range of services that offer value-for-money to the seven organisations in the Accord Group, which together manage more than 11,000 homes and provide services to 40,000 people.  

The Accord Group will also use its purchasing power to help stimulate the local economies in the neighbourhoods in which it works, including the creation of training and job opportunities.

Joanne's role, which will see her procure a wide range of goods and services, is part of the Accord Group's newly launched Business Support venture.

The initiative offers businesses, social enterprises and charities the opportunity to buy into Accord's services, including those of its accredited Customer First contact centre and award-winning regeneration team.

Joanne Antcliff, Group Procurement Manager for the Accord Group, said: "I'm delighted to be the Accord Group's first Group Procurement Manager and part of its exciting new Business Support initiative.

"In this current economic climate it is vital that housing associations provide even better value for money whilst maintaining excellent services for its customers. We need to ensure that we not only leverage our scale but achieve the optimum balance of using local and national supply partners."

Dawn Hendon, Business Support Manager for the Accord Group, said: "Joanne's role will be a welcome addition to our new Business Support scheme, which will offer other organisations an opportunity to access a range of award-winning services at competitive rates."

To find out more about the Accord Group's Business Support scheme, call Dawn Hendon on 0121 500 2334, email dawn.hendon@accordgroup.org.uk