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Former Gentoo boss takes on top job at Midlands landlord
Birmingham-based landlord Trident Group has appointed the former boss of Gentoo as its new chief executive.
Nigel Wilson announced on Twitter that he will be taking on the top job at the 4,000-home landlord at the start of next month.
He will replace current chief executive John Morris, who revealed in March he would step down from the role that he has held for nearly 20 years at the end of this month.
Trident said Mr Morris helped steer the landlord through the challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic and was described as “a calm, charismatic leader who has embodied the vision that housing and care and support should improve the lives of the residents living in them”.
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Mr Morris said: “My time as chief executive has been incredibly fulfilling and rewarding, and I am proud of how we have continued to be a beacon of hope for our local community. I would like to wish Nigel, the board and all at Trident all the very best for the future.”
Trident said it went through a rigorous recruitment process before appointing Mr Wilson, who was described as someone “with a proven track record in the housing sector and putting the voice of the customer at the heart”.
Mr Wilson said: “I am delighted to have this great opportunity to succeed John and know what a superb organisation Trident Group is, with a complete focus on its core social purpose. It feels like coming home to Birmingham and the Midlands, where my housing journey began.”
In January, it was revealed that Mr Wilson would immediately step aside at Gentoo after almost four years as boss.
He had been praised for turning Gentoo’s fortunes around from its “disastrous” non-compliant rating a few years before.
In 2017, the Regulator of Social Housing downgraded Gentoo to a G3 for governance after concerns were raised regarding excessive pay-offs to those leaving the landlord.
But with Mr Wilson at the helm, Gentoo returned to a top G1 rating for governance in November 2020, with the English regulator stating that the association continued to make “positive progress in developing and improving its governance”.
The news was a “big surprise” to the Conservative group at Sunderland City Council, according to councillor Michael Dixon, who had organised a meeting with the housing association boss before he left.
No reason was given for Mr Wilson’s departure from Gentoo at the time.
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