Session Overview

Ask most housing association board members whether they feel confident governing technology risk. Then watch the room go quiet.

Boards are expected to provide robust oversight of their organisations — the finances, the strategy, the risk, the culture. But in most boardrooms, there is a growing and largely unspoken gap between what technology now demands of governance and what boards are actually equipped to deliver. Cyber attacks are escalating. Data is driving more decisions than ever. Digital transformation is reshaping how housing associations deliver services, engage tenants, and manage their organisations. And yet too many boards are still treating technology as an operational matter — something for the exec to handle, reported upwards through a brief update slide.

That is no longer good enough. And the Regulator knows it.

Steve Russell is one of the few people in the sector who genuinely bridges both worlds. After a decade working in housing with Midland Heart, he has spent the past seven years as Director of Technology, Data and Strategy at Warwickshire Police — leading on some of the most complex data, digital and cyber challenges in public services. He now brings that hard-won expertise to the boardroom at Citizen Housing, where he sits on the main Board and the Audit and Risk Committee. He knows what it looks like when technology governance is done well — and what the consequences are when it isn't.

This session won't blind you with technical jargon. It will give you the knowledge, the questions, and the confidence to govern technology as effectively as you govern finance.

We'll be tackling the questions boards should already be asking:

• Why does technology governance belong in the boardroom? What is the board's specific role — as distinct from the exec — in overseeing digital, data and cyber risk?
• What does good look like? What should boards expect to see, hear and challenge when it comes to technology and data governance — and what are the red flags?
• Cyber risk: are you really prepared? What does the threat landscape look like for housing associations right now, and what should boards be doing to satisfy themselves that their organisation is resilient?
• Data as a strategic asset — or a liability? How should boards think about the data their organisations hold, what obligations come with it, and what the governance implications are?
• Digital transformation and board oversight — when your organisation is changing how it operates through technology, what does responsible governance of that change look like?
• What is the Regulator expecting? How do the Governance and Financial Viability Standard and the Consumer Standards translate into board-level accountability for technology and information risk?
• What questions should every board member be able to ask? You don't need to be a technologist. But you do need the right vocabulary — and Steve will give it to you.

What you'll take away:

• The specific questions you should be asking your exec — and the answers you should expect to receive
• Insight into what a robust Audit and Risk Committee agenda looks like when technology risk is properly integrated
• Practical tools for assessing whether your current governance of digital and data is genuinely fit for purpose
• An honest picture of the cyber threat landscape facing housing associations — and what proportionate board oversight of that risk looks like
• Confidence to engage with technology governance as a full board member — not to leave it to the one person in the room who "knows about IT"
• Lessons from Steve's experience spanning both housing and policing — two sectors where the stakes of getting this wrong are very high

Who should attend?

• Board members who want to feel more confident and credible when technology, data and cyber risk come up in the boardroom
• Chairs and Senior Independent Directors thinking about whether their board has the right skills mix for the digital age
• Chief Executives who want a board that can genuinely challenge and support on technology strategy — not just nod it through
• Audit and Risk Committee members who want to strengthen their oversight of information and cyber risk
• Company Secretaries and Governance leads thinking about how technology risk features in board reporting frameworks
• Heads of Technology and IT Directors who want to make the case for better board engagement with their agenda

The question isn't whether technology will affect your organisation. It already does, every single day. The question is whether your board is governing it — or just hoping for the best.

Joining information

Your joining link will be sent via Eventbrite 7 days before the session, and you will also receive a reminder from events@dinetwork.co.uk approximately 2 hours before the session.

Sessions are recorded where possible; however, slides and presentation materials are not guaranteed to be shared afterwards.

If you have any questions about the event or your booking, please contact events@dinetwork.co.uk.