Chair of the Board of Supervisors

A comfortable home for our tenants

Sité offers approximately 8,000 affordable homes in the municipalities of Bronckhorst, Doetinchem, and Oude IJsselstreek. We strive to ensure that everyone has a wonderful home—a place that is more than just a house, where people feel safe and connected within a close-knit community. We work together with tenants and partners to create a future-proof living environment where everyone feels seen and heard. Our goal is to stay close to people and respond to the needs of our current and future tenants.

Collaboration and Vital Coalitions

Collaboration is in our DNA. In the coming years, we will make an extra contribution to building a thriving society, where our tenants’ areas of life—such as housing, work, education, health, and safety—come together and reinforce one another. Drawing on our expertise, we connect housing with these areas by forming vital coalitions, both internally and with tenants and other professionals. We are investing heavily in making our housing more sustainable and affordable, and we are working together to keep neighborhoods livable. Our employees are visible in the neighborhoods, developing new housing concepts while simultaneously ensuring our financial continuity. Want to learn more about our ambitions? Check out ourMulti-Year Strategy 2022–2026.

A sound financial foundation

Sité is financially sound, and we intend to keep it that way. We have a strong operational foundation. This is essential, as the investments required to renovate our homes and make them more sustainable place significant financial demands on us. We aim to ensure that we remain capable of realizing our ambitions in the long term. We do this by using three themes (affordability, availability, and sustainability) and by analyzing scenarios to assess the scope of our challenges in the short and long term, thereby enabling us to make appropriate strategic choices. In this way—in a context where this is becoming less and less a given—we ensure that we will still be able to offer our tenants a comfortable home fifty years from now.

Governance and the Supervisory Board of Sité

Sité is managed by a single-person board, the managing director. The Supervisory Board oversees the policies and performance of the managing director and the organization. In this regard, the members of the Supervisory Board serve, as it were, as the eyes of the company. The Supervisory Board consists of five members in total. 

Collaboration is also a guiding principle for our Supervisory Board members. This means that they complement one another based on their expertise, give each other the space to contribute their perspectives, and strive for unanimous decision-making. The Supervisory Board aims to do this within a pleasant, open, and collegial governance culture. The collaboration between our Supervisory Board and the CEO is characterized by:

• Trust as a foundation, while maintaining everyone’s specific responsibilities;
• The "no surprise" principle as a condition, based on mutual openness and the provision of complete information;
• Room for intuition and the unspoken to be taken for granted, with both the Supervisory Board and the CEO guided by a moral compass focused on doing what is right.

Context

Sité is in a strong position both in terms of policy and finances, but is currently in a transitional phase regarding the leadership of its organization. The new executive director took office in the summer of 2024. Together with two interim managers, she forms the Executive Management Team. With the departure (due to the expiration of their terms) of two Supervisory Board members, the positions of Chair and Vice Chair of the Supervisory Board will become vacant in April 2025, and the Supervisory Board is seeking a new Chair as of April. 

With the departure of the two Supervisory Board members, Sité is losing its two most experienced members. This situation calls for an experienced chairperson with a keen understanding of governance issues and relationships. Under the leadership of the new chairperson, the focus will be on safeguarding the governance culture and renewing and deepening cooperation within the Supervisory Board and with the CEO.

Profile of the Chair of the Supervisory Board

In this context, the Supervisory Board is seeking a chairperson with extensive experience as the chair of a supervisory board or board of trustees, preferably within a (semi)public organization. The ideal candidate has gained expertise in a senior leadership role within a large (semi)public organization. The Supervisory Board is looking for someone with strong process skills and knowledge of the field and its associated challenges. Well-developed strategic ability and extensive experience with governance dilemmas are required, as is the ability (and experience) to serve as a sounding board and sparring partner for the CEO. Knowledge of real estate is a plus.

Requirements for the Chair of the Supervisory Board

Experience and expertise:

• Demonstrable experience as chair of a supervisory board or board of trustees and as a director in a similar setting, preferably in a larger organization within the public housing, real estate, or public sector;
• In-depth knowledge of governance, with the ability to ensure clear delineation of roles;
• Experience with strategic decision-making and overseeing complex civil society organizations;

Leadership qualities:

• Capable of effectively leading the Supervisory Board and creating a culture centered on openness, equality, transparency, and professionalism;
• Able to facilitate collaboration within the Supervisory Board and with the CEO. A motivating chairperson with an eye for team building and respect for differing opinions;
• Strong at making decisions and facilitating discussions, with a focus on reaching consensus and ensuring balanced decision-making;
• Experience serving as a sounding board for the CEO;

Communication and interpersonal skills:

• Excellent communication and diplomatic skills, both internally within the Supervisory Board and the organization, as well as with relevant external stakeholders, including the tenants’ association;
• Ability to serve as a public face and represent Sité to the outside world, with an eye toward the organization’s social role and image;
• Able to clearly articulate complex issues and bring together people from diverse backgrounds and with varying interests;

Vision and strategic insight:

• A long-term perspective on developments in public housing and the relevant social, economic, technological, and political context;
• Experience in developing and monitoring strategic objectives, with a focus on sustainability, affordability, and quality of life in the neighborhoods and communities where Sité owns properties;
• An understanding of risks and opportunities, and the ability to assess and manage them at the strategic level;

Moral compass and independence:

• A strong sense of ethics and the ability to exercise independent and objective oversight, while avoiding conflicts of interest;
• Integrity and responsibility, with a commitment to transparency and accountability regarding decisions and oversight;

Affinity with the industry and social commitment:

• A clear affinity for public housing and the social challenges and responsibilities of housing authorities;
• Experience with or an interest in ESG topics such as sustainability, tenant participation, and strengthening social cohesion.

A good rapport between the chairperson and the executive director is essential for effective collaboration.

Availability

The chair of the Supervisory Board has sufficient time and flexibility in scheduling to be available when the situation requires it. Other criteria, which apply to all our Supervisory Board members, are listed in the appendix below. Our Supervisory Board strives for a balanced and diverse composition, including in terms of gender, age, professional backgrounds, knowledge and expertise, ethnic origin, and personality traits. The Supervisory Board aims to be a true reflection of society. The current members of the Supervisory Board therefore represent a variety of backgrounds, expertise, experience, and personalities. 

Procedure

Sité’s Supervisory Board is being assisted in this process by the executive search firm Colourful People. For more information about Sité, the position, or the process, please contact Rick Verhoeven, managing partner. You can schedule a phone call with him viathis link(0626706757).  Please submit your applicationby January 14, 2025, via the application form on the website.

The discussion sessions are scheduled for Wednesday,February 5, 2025, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and for Tuesday, February 11, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Attachment: General Profile of the Members of the Sité Supervisory Board

The Supervisory Board of Sité

Sité’s Supervisory Board oversees the policies of the managing director and ensures compliance with legal, statutory, and internal regulations. The Supervisory Board evaluates the managing director’s decisions for due diligence and, as a representative of the public interest, ensures that Sité’s policies reflect its social and societal objectives. Risk management receives special attention in this regard: the Supervisory Board ensures that potential risks are identified and managed. The Supervisory Board regularly evaluates its own performance. At least four times a year, the Supervisory Board and the Managing Director meet to discuss the progress of Sité’s strategic direction and related topics. Where necessary, the Supervisory Board acts as a sparring partner/advisor to the Managing Director. 

Essential skills and personal qualities of the members of the Supervisory Board

The members of our Supervisory Board are committed to the interests of both current and future Sité tenants. Together, they bring the expertise required for the role of the Supervisory Board and the dynamics of a housing association. The Supervisory Board members are experts in their respective fields and embody the right attitude that aligns with Sité’s governance culture. They work together and leverage their diversity in knowledge, experience, and background. The Supervisory Board values an open, curious, and intrinsically engaged attitude in its members. With both feet firmly on the ground. The ability to learn and engage in self-reflection is essential in this regard. 

All members must possess a number of general qualities:

Strategic insight and analytical skills

The board members are able to analyze complex issues at a strategic level in a holistic manner while maintaining a clear overview. They have a keen eye for detail, but never lose sight of the bigger picture.

Expertise in relevant fields

The Supervisory Board members bring expertise in at least one of the following areas: public housing, finance, social affairs, real estate, legal affairs, ESG (environmental, social, and governance), and emerging topics such as AI and digitalization. This expertise helps Sité maintain a solid foundation in a rapidly changing world. In addition, the Supervisory Board members are familiar with the principles of “good governance” in the broadest sense.

The Supervisory Board seeks members who are willing to take responsibility, act with integrity, and always keep the public interest in mind, without losing sight of the company’s interests. Independence of thought and action is central to this. The Supervisory Board members are open to different perspectives and approach issues without prejudice.

As representatives of society, the Board Members work well together as a team, bring relevant networks to the table, and are able to function effectively in networked environments. Our Board Members are aware of political and social developments and are preferably socially active themselves. They realize that Sité decisions have an impact on the local community and understand what it means to be a housing association with strong local roots.

A healthy, constructive critical perspective, the courage to make adjustments, and the ability to stand firm when necessary make the board members valuable partners for the CEO.

Learning-oriented, solution-focused, and innovative

The Supervisory Board members are eager to contribute ideas for solutions based on opportunities and bring an innovative, “out-of-the-box” perspective to matters. As a result, they inject dynamism into their role as supervisors and contribute to the Supervisory Board’s capacity for learning. Given the dynamic environment in which Sité operates, the Supervisory Board must possess a high capacity for learning in order to continue providing effective and forward-looking oversight.