A show of Unity helps Shruti to rise to the many challenges

Here’s her latest project: To drive growth at a charitable housing association that helps people from BME (black and minority ethnic) communities find a place to live, while creating opportunities for small firms to establish a thriving base in inner city Leeds.

She’s also leading an association that is working to help older people feel less isolated, while confronting the challenges posed by a raft of benefit reforms.

Ms Bhargava has never been one to walk away from a test. In the early 1990s, she worked as an operational research consultant at British Steel in Rotherham, providing the analysis to support big investment decisions.

Her varied career has also seen her spend time as a board director at Ashiana Sheffield, an organisation that supports women and children who have suffered violence.

Earlier this year, the 47-year-old became the chairman of the board of directors at Unity Homes and Enterprise, which owns and manages homes in multicultural neighbourhoods, and also supports an affordable housebuilding programme.

It operates a subsidiary company, Unity Enterprise, which is helping to kick-start the regeneration of deprived areas.

It operates three business centres close to Leeds city centre: Unity Business Centre, Leeds Media Centre and Chapeltown Enterprise Centre. Unity Employment Services was set-up in 2011 to help Unity’s tenants secure employment and training.

As an experienced management consultant, Ms Bhargava is used to juggling a number of plates at once. As chairman of Unity, she is keen to ensure it remains true to its core beliefs.

It was founded in 1987, during the height of Thatcherism, with the aim of creating a community housing association to address the needs of black and minority ethnic communities in Leeds. It initially focused on Chapeltown, but it has since broadened its scope to include Harehills, Beeston and Holbeck.

“Unity operates very much in the heart of Leeds, in the most deprived areas and multicultural neighbourhoods, and it works to revive those areas,” said Ms Bhargava. “It does this by providing affordable housing, but also with its very strong commitment to social economic and physical regeneration.

“We currently provide 1,200 homes. We have a building programme of an additional 120 homes over the next few years.”

In the last financial year, Unity’s turnover increased by six per cent to £5.6m. Eighty new homes were built, including a small development in Huddersfield – the organisation’s first project outside Leeds.

More than £1.3m was invested in home improvements to 180 properties, while a further £1.4m was spent on the refurbishment of Chapeltown Enterprise Centre and Unity Business Centre; the latter is now home to around 80 companies. Over the last financial year, Unity Employment Services helped 60 people into work, and it delivered accredited skills training to 61 others and enabled 20 people to gain work experience.

“We very much support our tenants as well as enabling them to afford affordable housing,” said Ms Bhargava. “We support them in all aspects of their lives.”

Older people can feel lonely and trapped in their homes. Unity is doing its bit to help them. Unity is part of a joint working group which includes the Feel Good Factor, Leeds Black Elders, Care & Repair and Leeds University.

One of the problems that came to light from a recent study was the issue of “under-occupation” where an older person finds themselves in a house that is now too big for them. Unity’s development at Stratford Court in Leeds offers a solution. It provides accommodation where older people can make friends.

“The Government needs to understand the impact that small organisations like Unity have,’’ said Ms Bhargava. “We’ve got very strong community roots. We understand the needs of our communities.

“We work on regeneration and improving people’s lives.”

A mathematics graduate from Manchester University, Ms Bhargava has also completed an MBA project at Ashridge Business School, in which she considered new ways of working for the public sector.

Ms Bhargava has spent most of the last two decades based in South Yorkshire, where she has held a number of senior roles, including a four-year stint as non-executive director at Sheffield Homes, which was one of the largest ALMOS – or arms length management organisation for social housing – in the UK. For the last eight years she has run Shrutinha, an independent consultancy. She has a particular interest in the role that culture plays within the public sector and non-profit organisations.

Unity certainly doesn’t lack high profile supporters. Leeds-born Olympic boxing gold medallist Nicola Adams was the star attraction at Unity Homes and Enterprise’s recent annual general meeting.

However, the organisation still faces obstacles. In its latest report, Unity warned the proposed extension of the ‘right to buy’ to housing associations could reduce the stock of affordable homes.

According to Unity’s annual report, this comes on top of a housing shortage, lower grant rates, increased land values, higher building costs and ongoing problems obtaining private finance.

Despite this gloomy background music, Ms Bhargava believes the years of austerity have led to a renaissance of our inner cities, because it means local communities have had to take more responsibility for local services.

Shruti Bhargava factfile

Title: Director at Shrutinha, and Chair of Unity Homes & Enterprise

Date of birth: 29.02.68

First job: Operational Research Consultant, British Steel, Rotherham

Education: BSc Mathematics, Manchester University; MSc Operational Research, Birmingham University; MBA, Ashridge Business School

Last book read: Gifted by Nikita Lalwani, and The Little Big Number by Dirk Philipsen

Favourite holiday destination: Tibet.

Favourite song: eclectic taste across genres, favourites include Gil-Scott Heron’s Lady Day

Favourite TV series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Car driven: Ford Ka