Large North East landlord appoints first customer director

Mr Roberts, who has become part of Gentoo’s senior leadership team, is responsible for around 300 staff members and will oversee the landlord’s housing service.  

This includes tenancy support services such as well-being, tackling anti-social behaviour and Gentoo’s Money Matters service, as well as its allocations and high-rise residential team, the group said. 

The job was advertised by the Sunderland-based landlord last year with an annual salary of “up to” £110,000. 

Mr Roberts, who spent a year at Ocado as its head of contact centres, said: “I’m looking forward to working with both customers and colleagues to first understand what is important to them and then get to work evolving and supporting the delivery of a quality service to our customers to help sustain tenancies and improve communities.”

He has been at 15,000-home Beyond Housing for the past three years and spent seven years at Home Group before his stint at Ocado. 

Susie Thompson, executive director of housing at Gentoo, who Mr Roberts is reporting to, said that he had “demonstrated outstanding leadership and transformation in his previous positions”.

She added: “His experience along with his passion to make a difference in the region is only going to enhance the service we provide to customers and help us to improve our neighbourhoods.”

He is the second appointment to a newly created role at Gentoo in the space of three months after the group hired an executive director of people, culture and engagement last November. It comes after the group updated its corporate strategy last year. 

Gentoo also has a relatively new chief executive, Louise Bassett. She has been in the role on a permanent basis since last May after initially taking the job on an interim basis following the sudden exit of Nigel Wilson.