Meet our new Associate Board Member Didia Antonio who has been a tenant of Tuntum since 2012.
After a long search and interview process we are very pleased to select Didia as an Associate Board Member. Didia has been attending board meetings as an observer and will hopefully soon be elected onto the Board of Tuntum.
In this article, Didia talks about her journey to the UK, her aspirations as a Board member and how she sees her role impacting on the life of other Tuntum tenants.
Didia Antonio, originally from Portugal, is a Team Co-ordinator at the national law firm, Browne Jacobson. Her main role is to provide a high quality internal and external client experience in line with the firm’s brand values and standards. In her spare time she enjoys painting, reading and puzzles.
Didia and her family arrived in the UK 2010 where they struggled to find a home and were homeless for two years. In 2012, Housing Aid advised them to return to Portugal. Just as they lost all their hope Tuntum found them “a beautiful and spacious house, something we never experienced before.” It was actually the first time in her life Didia was able to have her own room. “Little things like that, we really appreciate and are grateful to Tuntum,” said Didia.
“When I saw that Tuntum was looking for a tenant to join their Board, my first thought was it would be interesting and intimidating. Definitely out of my comfort zone!” Her next thought was “I’m young, female, and from a minority group, all things that usually could work against me, this time I choose to see them as a positive, and an opportunity to give back to Tuntum and our community.” Didia applied for the job and was successful.
Didia has already attended her first board meeting in January, where she could “really see the dedication and the drive the board have to provide safe and secure homes to tenants, as well the plans to expand by creating new homes to help the community as a shortage of housing is an national issue.”
Tuntum is excited to see Didia settling into her new role and expressing the tenants’ views and concerns at such an important level within the organisation. “It is vital to have a tenant voice on the Board. I’d like to see myself as a bridge of communication between the tenant and Association,” said Didia.
Tuntum staff and Board once again welcome Didia into her new role and wish her success in this role.
