Staff stories
09/10/2025
Standing firm in pride: celebrating Lorraine Michael this Black History Month
For Black History Month, we’re spotlighting Lorraine Michael, Facilities Coordinator in our Communities and Neighbourhoods team. She’s also part of our Staff Exec team, representing colleagues’ voices across the organisation.
Read More03/07/2025
Driving digital change in our community: Riaz’s story
If you haven’t met Riaz yet, he’s our Digital Skills Training Officer based at The Hive. Passionate about technology and education, he helps residents across our community build confidence online - from setting up their email accounts to accessing essential services.
Read More26/06/2025
Our trailblazing trio
We're proud to spotlight three inspiring women in our team who are shaping the future of housing
24/04/2025
Tower Hamlets hero: Dave Tull bags Civic Award
We’re proud to share that Dave Tull, Engagement Manager in our Housing team, has been honoured with a Tower Hamlets Civic Award for outstanding voluntary service to the community.
Read More03/03/2025
Amplifying voices and celebrating heritage: Angel’s commitment to inclusion
We believe diversity is a strength, and is one of the things that makes Tower Hamlets so special. Since joining Poplar HARCA, marketing and communications officer Angel has been a real champion of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), leading campaigns that challenge perceptions, amplify underrepresented voices, and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of east London.
Read More03/03/2025
Accelerate Action: Vicky Coakley’s impact on women and the community
This International Women’s Day, we’re taking a moment to celebrate Vicky Coakley, one of our pioneering Community Development Officers.
23/09/2024
Abisola’s journey from Nigeria to the UK: a story of strength and community
For Black History Month, we are shining a spotlight on Abisola, our Rents and Income Manager. Abisola has been a valued member of our HARCA family for almost 17 years. She’s made a significant impact on our community and contributes to making east London a great place to live. We want to celebrate her achievements at work and learn more about her personal story.
Read More23/07/2024
Sabiha’s south Asian culture inspired her to build communities
Sabiha Khanam is our Volunteering Partnerships Manager. She’s been part of our team for over five years. This South Asian Heritage Month we spoke to her about how her south Asian culture has inspired her to work in volunteering, and how our work environment empowers her to bring her true self to work.
Read More03/07/2023
Our staff mentors help local young people to build bright futures
Committed to making real positive change through the services we provide, last year we launched a mentoring programme for young people on our Youth Empowerment Board (YEB).
Read More22/06/2022
Working with residents to improve our repairs service
Paul Stannard recently joined us as our new head of resident experience to help us improve the service our residents receive when they have an issue with a repair.
Read More05/04/2022
How the pandemic pushed us to evolve the services we offer
Bala Thakrar is the head of operations for our Community Development and Wellbeing team, which runs health, wellbeing and learning services to help improve the lives of local people. She has a rich background in supporting communities across the world, and joined Poplar HARCA just before the pandemic hit.
18/06/2020
“Volunteers are part of the solution”
Volunteers are integral to strengthening our community. Babu Bhattacherjee, Poplar HARCA's Director of Communities & Neighbourhoods, shares why Poplar HARCA values volunteers so highly.
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