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Mike Harden, the former chief executive of Knowsley Borough Council, has joined the Board of Plus Dane as a non-executive director.
He will also serve as Chair of our Audit & Assurance Committee in his role.
Mike has a background of leadership and financial management in the public sector. Spending most of his career at Knowsley Council, he became chief executive in 2014 and retired last year.
He led and supported a range of major projects including town centre regeneration, establishing a brand-new social landlord organisation, and the building of the Shakespeare North Playhouse.
A qualified accountant, Mike has also held board level positions in organisations in the housing, culture, and leisure sectors.
As a Non-Executive Director at Plus Dane, he will play a pivotal role in ensuring robust financial oversight, effective audit arrangements, and ethical decision-making within the organisation, which owns and manages 13,000 homes and works for 30,000 customers across Cheshire and Merseyside. Work will begin this year on the formulation of the organisation’s next five-year corporate plan.
In addition, the Audit & Assurance Committee takes a closer look at areas of Plus Dane’s business commitments and requirements in areas including governance, health and safety, regulatory compliance, value for money and more.
Mike Harden replaces Gary Dixon, who is stepping down from the Board after reaching the end of his tenure.
Max Steinberg CBE DL, chair of Plus Dane, said: “We are delighted to welcome Mike to the Board, at an exciting and pivotal time for Plus Dane as we begin developing a new corporate plan. His extensive leadership experience and proven commitment to and success in growing strong and vibrant communities speaks for itself, and he brings with him a knowledge and understanding of the housing sector that will significantly strengthen our Board moving forward.”
Mike Harden said: “I’m looking forward to making the best contribution I can. Throughout my local government career, I maintained a keen interest in public sector housing, so this role feels natural to me. I know that high quality housing makes a huge positive difference to people’s lives, so I’m pleased to be joining the Board of a housing association which shares that objective.”
Mike joined the Board in May 2026.
