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Former CIH president named new chair at 12,500-home landlord
A former Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) president has been appointed as the new permanent chair at Grand Union Housing Group after the previous incumbent left after three months.
Steven Benson, who was CIH president between 2008 and 2009, will take up the post at the 12,500-home landlord on 1 April.
He is a permanent replacement for Colin Dennis, who stepped down from Milton Keynes-based Grand Union in December.
Mr Dennis had only been appointed chair in September, but on his exit, Grand Union’s chief executive Aileen Evans said both parties “realised that we weren’t the right fit for each other”.
He has remained as chair of 30,000-home Citizen Housing Group, where he has held the post since late 2015.
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Mr Benson, who has been chief executive of homelessness charity Two Saints for the past nine years, said he was “excited” to be taking the role, but admitted it is “challenging times with the difficult economic environment and cost of living crisis”.
Aileen Evans, chief executive of Grand Union, who is also a former CIH president, said: “Steve shares our values and is a brilliant choice to lead us in the future.”
One of Grand Union’s current board members, Peter Fielder, had been acting as Grand Union’s interim chair in the wake of Mr Dennis’ departure.
The landlord currently has a G1/V1 rating with the regulator. In its last full year to March 2022, the group reported an increased surplus of £9.3m on turnover of £85.9m.
