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Chief executive makes ‘difficult’ decision to step down following merger
The chief executive of Grand Union Housing Group has announced that she will step down following the landlord’s merger with Longhurst Group.
Aileen Evans, who has led the 12,900-home landlord for eight years, said that it was the “most difficult” decision she has ever made, but that she is “filled with both gratitude and optimism”.
Last week, Longhurst and Grand Union announced that their boards had approved a merger to form a 38,000-home landlord.
The landlords entered merger talks in July. Combined, they own and manage more than 38,000 homes and employ more than 1,400 staff members across the Midlands and the East of England.
At the time, Julie Doyle, chief executive of Longhurst, said the landlord had a “strong existing relationship with Grand Union Housing Group, with whom we share similar visions and values, as well as geographic footprints and growth aspirations”.
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Ms Evans said: “Both ourselves and Longhurst Group are well governed and built on solid financial foundations, and we believe that we’d be even stronger together as a larger organisation and have more resilience to respond to a challenging operating environment.”
Ms Doyle will lead the new organisation.
Ms Evans joined Grand Union more than 25 years ago and became chief executive in July 2017. She served as president of the Chartered Institute of Housing from November 2019 to June 2021.
In a statement, she said she will step down “as we embark on an exciting new chapter through our merger with Longhurst Group”.
She said the merger represents a “monumental opportunity for our collective future”, which “will create something really special for our customers, colleagues and the broader housing sector”.
Ms Evans said the aim of joining the two associations is “to do more” for residents, provide more homes, and do more for staff, including “better career development” and “more opportunities for trainees and apprentices”.
She said: “When I first took on the CEO job, I could never have imagined the journey we would undertake – the challenges we would be faced with, the innovation we would drive, and the impact we would create.
“I am deeply proud of everything we’ve achieved, and this pride extends to each member of the Grand Union Housing Group team. There is so much more to do, though, and this merger will ensure the investment necessary to build best-in-class services to customers.
“I am filled with both gratitude and optimism. Gratitude for the incredible colleagues whose compassion, kindness and commitment is both humbling and joyful to be around.
“And optimism because I know the proud legacy will be built upon in the new organisation.”
Confirming that Ms Doyle will lead the new organisation, Ms Evans said that she will do so “with vision, integrity and compassion” and that her “outstanding team will create a fantastic customer-centric organisation”.
“The decision to step down has been the most difficult one I’ve ever made but while my chapter as CEO closes, I’ll still be around in the sector – especially working with the governing board of the Chartered Institute of Housing and elsewhere in the housing sector,” she said.
Ms Evans added that she will be volunteering with the team at Furnishing Futures, a charity that works with victims of domestic violence and creates trauma-informed home environments for them.
She said: “I look forward to supporting the transition, cheering from the sidelines, and exploring the next steps in my own journey.
“Grateful thanks to so many of you who have supported me along the way. I owe you all so much.”
Longhurst has a G1/V2 grading for governance and financial viability from the Regulator of Social Housing, while Grand Union has a G1/V1 rating.
Grand Union recently told Inside Housing how it has overhauled its approach to resident engagement, including by introducing psychographic segmentation to help it understand residents’ needs better.
