Leading with purpose: Karen Sloan
This International Women’s Day, the global theme ‘Give to Gain’ highlights how progress accelerates when we share knowledge, opportunities, support, and advocacy.
As we spotlight Karen Sloan, Divisional Director for Heating and Compliance at Liberty, we see how a commitment to giving – through leadership, guidance, and advocacy – helps strengthen communities, raise standards, and foster a culture where people feel genuinely valued and supported.
From planning desk to boardroom
For Karen, leadership isn’t about fitting a mould or leaning on titles – it’s about setting standards that keep people safe, respected, and supported. With nearly three decades in social housing, her approach has been shaped by lived experience, resilience, and a conviction that effective leadership begins with an honest understanding of how services truly feel to the people who rely on them.
Beginning her career in a planning role within a largely male‑dominated, technically-focused environment, Karen quickly learned that leadership positions were often reserved for those with engineering backgrounds. As her career progressed, Karen often found herself competing against technically trained candidates. Rather than seeing her own non-technical background as a limitation, she saw it as an opportunity to bring a different and valuable perspective.
“You don’t need to be technical to know what good customer service looks like,” she says. “People always remember how you make them feel.” And that belief has stayed with her throughout her career.
Progress through perseverance
Having applied multiple times for senior operational roles, she chose to make a lateral move that placed her in charge of contracts spanning tens of thousands of homes. It proved to be a pivotal decision – one that expanded her operational breadth and strengthened her belief that great leadership is rooted in judgement, accountability and care, not just technical credentials.
That persistence continued to open doors. She progressed into increasingly senior operational and strategic positions, ultimately taking on executive-level responsibilities and leading large, complex service areas – a shift that enabled her to drive higher standards for customers and create clearer direction, support, and opportunities for her teams.
The Mum Test
At the heart of Karen’s leadership approach is what she calls The Mum Test. “If you wouldn’t be happy for your mum to experience it, it’s not good enough,” she explains – particularly when it comes to safety. That principle guides everything from operational decisions to customer interactions. It also underpins Karen’s uncompromising stance on compliance and wellbeing, especially for vulnerable residents. Growing up in social housing, Karen’s connection to the sector is deeply personal. Creating safe, comfortable, compliant homes isn’t just a professional responsibility – it’s a moral one.
That same mindset shapes her approach to customer experience. Karen maintains visibility on the ground to ensure strategy reflects real customer needs and frontline realities. She encourages teams to go the extra mile, while reinforcing that safety and compliance are non-negotiable.
Leading through uncertainty
As the sector continues to grapple with skills shortages, increasing regulatory demands, and the drive toward net zero, Karen focuses on the opportunities these shifts create for growth, resilience, and improved service.
For her, the answer starts with investing in people – upskilling the workforce to build confidence and capability, and creating clear, accessible career pathways that help individuals progress and stay in the industry.
She advocates for structured training, mentoring, and development routes that open doors for those who may previously have felt overlooked or unsure of how to advance.
Setting a higher standard
In 2022, Karen was named IGEM Leader of the Year, recognised for paving the way for greater representation and championing the development of a more balanced and inclusive workforce. The recognition mattered – not just personally, but for what it signalled to others. “I want people to see that there’s space for different leadership styles in this sector,” she says. “And that empathy and high-performance aren’t opposites.”
Karen’s leadership is defined by balance. Strategic yet human. Ambitious yet grounded. Firm on standards yet deeply compassionate. In a sector responsible for people’s safety and wellbeing, that balance isn’t just admirable – it sets a higher expectation for what modern leadership can be. Her commitment to giving back through advocacy, opening opportunities for others, and sharing knowledge reflects the true spirit of Give to Gain.
