Boss of ALMO set for closure to join large housing association as COO

It followed a recommendation by council officers in June that the local authority should return to direct management amid upcoming legislative changes, increased costs and dwindling tenant satisfaction.

When she joins 35,000-home Vivid, Ms Dodwell’s primary focus will be to “continue improving services” for residents. 

She will lead all customer-facing services including the repairs team, customer experience, neighbourhoods, lettings, tenancy support and placeshaping.

Before joining Lewisham Homes, Ms Dodwell served as interim operations director at Vivid for five months and executive director of operations at BPHA for more than a year. 

Ms Dodwell said: “It’s great to be joining the Vivid team and helping them drive forward their ambitions around customer service, in the context of the opportunities and challenges it and the sector face. I can’t wait to be part of that.”

Mark Perry, chief executive of Vivid, said: “We continue to listen to our customers to understand what’s most important to them in the homes and services we provide. Customer needs and expectations have evolved and so is our business.

“I’m delighted Margaret is joining us at a time where the groundwork on our customer-focused ambitions has been successfully laid. She will bring continuity and fresh perspective as we transform our business for the benefit of our customers. Central to this is building trust, pride and impact for the customers and communities we serve.”