You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing appoints new chair amid board shake-up
The representative body of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) appointed Kevin Brady as its new chair amid a shake-up of its board.
RBH’s representative body, made up of elected tenants and staff, appointed Mr Brady as chair earlier this week.
Mr Brady also sits on Together Housing Group’s board, is a committee member at Yorkshire Housing and a former group board director at Livv Housing.
The appointment comes five months after the inquest into the death of toddler Awaab Ishak concluded he died from prolonged exposure to mould in an RBH flat.
READ MORE
In the immediate aftermath of the inquest, Gareth Swarbrick, RBH’s chief executive at the time, refused to resign, and said the board had given him “their full backing and trust to continue to oversee the improvements and changes needed” at the social landlord.
However, RBH announced he had been sacked just two days later, following nationwide pressure.
The housing association appointed Yvonne Arrowsmith as its interim chief executive. She pledged to “prioritise safety” and find a new board chair and members.
In a statement, RBH said Mr Brady, who started in the role on Tuesday, brought a “broad range and depth of experience” in housing, central and local government, and “will play a vital role” as the landlord implemented its recovery plan.
Its recovery includes, among other things, a damp and mould task force and action plan, repairs service and contact centre reviews, as well as a stock-condition survey of all its homes.
Mr Brady said: “Although there are some huge challenges ahead, I am looking forward to working with RBH employees and tenants to make sure that we deliver our recovery plan and make sure that we provide the high-quality homes and services that our tenants and communities expect and deserve.
“As a resident of Middleton, I know how important it is that the borough’s main social housing provider is strong and successful.”
Jonathan Wenn, RBH employee representative and chair of the nominations committee, said: “We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Kevin Brady as the new chair of the RBH board.
“Kevin is a long-term resident of the borough and brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to his new role.
“The nominations committee was very impressed with Kevin throughout the process.
“We are glad he is joining RBH and look forward to working with him as we meet the challenges RBH faces.”
Housing association and council moves
Octavia has a new chair – Stephen Jack (above) – who will take over from Sandeep Katwala when his term ends in April.
Notting Hill Genesis has promoted Matthew Cornwall-Jones to group director of assets and sustainability, from deputy group director of development. He replaces Elly Hoult, who has moved to Peabody as chief operating officer.
BPHA’s chief executive Kevin Bolt is retiring in May, and the Bedford-based association has said he will be replaced by Richard Hill. Mr Hill was chief executive at One Housing for over five years.
Steve Benson has been appointed as chair of Milton Keynes-based Grand Union Housing Group. He replaces Peter Fielder, who has been acting chair since November and steps down at the end of June.
Mike Gaskell has been appointed as group chair of Your Housing Group and is due to start on 1 April. Mr Gaskell has most recently served as chair of Leeds & Yorkshire Housing Association. He replaces Richard Groome, who is retiring.
Kevin Sims has stepped into the new role of director of sales and marketing at SO Resi, the shared ownership arm of Metropolitan Thames Valley. Mr Sims joined SO Resi in 2019 and was group head of sales.
Former Labour MP Lord Ian Austin has been appointed chair of Midland Heart, replacing John Edwards.
Louise Davies has been appointed as director of development and growth at Cobalt Housing, with plans to start in early March after finishing her duties as managing director of Sandway Homes. Sequoia Chapman has also joined as director of transformation and ICT, from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, where she was deputy director of strategy.
Scott Worth has left Central England Co-operative to become director of experience at Citizen, taking over from Graeme Hall, who had been working as interim director of customer services. Bridget Guilfoyle has also joined Citizen as director of asset management, replacing Paul Baker, who has moved to WHG. Before Citizen, Ms Guilfoyle held the position of director of assets, compliance, and health and safety at Plus Dane Housing.
Vivid has appointed Tristan Samuels as group development and new business director, and Tom Robinson as executive director of assets and sustainability.
Steve Madell is the new assistant director of assets and sustainability for Saxon Weald. Mr Madell was previously head of asset management and investment at Eastlight Community Homes.
Darren Phillips was acting as assistant director of finance and procurement at Nottingham City Homes. He has now been appointed to the job of assistant director of finance at Nottingham Community Housing Association.
Fiona Deal has been promoted from assistant director of people to executive director of people, digital and change at Golding Homes.
Martin Sloan is the new asset planning lead for Scottish Borders Housing Association. He previously held the role of property manager at Melville Housing Association.
Matthew Rimell has been named group commercial finance director at Places for People, joining from HomeServe UK, where he was director of finance.
Kevin Breheny has been appointed as head of IT operations at Places for People. He leaves digital identity business GBG, where he was head of IT strategy and special projects.
Angela Murphy has been promoted from business transformation manager to head of finance at Hillcrest Homes. She replaces Lindsey Dryden, who has retired. Hillcrest has also promoted Claire Pickthall from operations manager to head of housing, after the retirement of Bob Sander.
Gloria Yang will join Moat as executive director of finance in April. Ms Yang replaces Greg Taylor, who left the role after 13 years of service. Ms Yang previously worked as deputy chief executive of Origin Housing.
Carolyn Bill has been given the newly developed role of head of asset investment at Magna Housing, the community-based housing association based in Dorset and Somerset. Ms Bill most recently worked as assistant director of operations at the RSPCA.
Charlotte Spendley has been named new director of finance and resources for Lewisham-based Phoenix Community Housing, with a start date in March. Ms Spendley is currently working as director of corporate services at Folkestone & Hythe District Council. She is taking the place of Chris Starke, who is retiring after 15 years in the role.
Phil Andrew will start as group chief executive of Orbit in July. Until then, he will continue in his role as chief executive of debt advice charity StepChange.
Geoff Raw is to become the new managing director at Barking & Dagenham Council’s regeneration company Be First, a role previously held by Pat Hayes, who departed in October 2022. Mr Raw comes to the role from Brighton & Hove City Council, where he had been chief executive and head of paid service since 2015.
