I am a housing specialist with over 30 years' experience in housing. I work as a London Blue Badge Guide specialising in social history, particularly women's history, including the suffragettes, music and fashion, and as a board member.

My Fellow's Report focused on housing – learning lessons from private sector renting (PRS) in Germany to help improve the PRS in the UK, in particular to improve private renting from the tenant's perspective in terms of affordability, security and sustainability and thus improve life chances and social justice. Since publishing the Report, I have blogged on housing issues and spoken at conferences and on national media. This has helped highlight the problems of the PRS and provided possible solutions.

I became interested in housing as a tenant and community activist and fought for 'homes not offices' in London. I went on to work professionally in housing, rising up the ranks from being a frontline housing officer to become Head of Housing in the Audit Commission, where I ran the housing inspection regime.

The Fellowship meant I increased my understanding of ways to improve the housing market.