Who's who in the north-east

Malcolm Bowes

Bowes is to be principal author of the regional spatial strategy. He trained as a town planner and is now assistant director of regional development at the North-east assembly and chair of the English Regions Network Regional Planning Body Group.

Malcolm Levi

Chief executive of Home Group, Levi has been involved in council and RSL housing for more than 25 years, and is one of the most respected figures in the industry. He is a qualified accountant and has been in charge of Home, which has 50,000 units, since 1998.

Peter Walls

Chief executive of the largest transfer association in the country, Sunderland Housing Group, which has started a £600m regeneration programme in Wearside. A larger-than-life figure who was director of housing at the council for 15 years, Walls has faced sniping about his £140,000 salary and controversy over demolition plans.

Alison Thain

Thain is chief executive of Tees Valley Housing Group, one of the region’s largest RSLs. But she is also chair of market renewal group Tees Valley Living and widely respected across the region. She is married to CIH chief executive David Butler.

John Carleton

Director of investment and regeneration, North, for the Housing Corporation, Carleton has called for RSLs to consider more mergers for efficiency’s sake. But the job is itself to be merged with the northern regulatory role held by Tansy Hepton; it is unclear who’ll survive the change.

Alan Clarke

The chief executive of regional development agency One North East, Clarke is heading the production of the Northern Way. A Scouser, he’s lived in the North-east for 30 years and worked at Sunderland and Newcastle councils.

Jonathan Blackie

Director of the Government Office for the North-east and chair of the regional housing board. He trained as a planner and oversaw the creation of the country’s only dedicated unit for the provision of statistical and evidential support to the work of the board.