Housing Plus Group makes new executive and senior appointments
Housing Plus Group, one of the West Midlands’ largest housing associations, has announced four key appointments to its new senior leadership team following its merger with The Wrekin Housing Group.
The housing provider has appointed Suzanne Forster as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and David Hall as its new Executive Director of Investment and Growth.
Suzanne joins the Group from Excolo Housing Consultancy and brings a wealth of executive experience from previous roles in both large housing associations and private sector organisations. In this role, she is responsible for Finance, Treasury, Audit, Risk & Assurance, Legal & Governance and Procurement. Suzanne is replacing Jon Lamb, who is retiring from his post of Executive Director of Finance later in the year.
Housing Plus Group has recruited from within for the role of Executive Director of Investment and Growth. David Hall, who was previously Head of Property, moves into the executive team, taking up the role immediately. He has a strong background in strategic asset management, compliance and development from both Housing Plus Group, a number of other housing providers and private companies. David will be responsible for Strategic Asset Management, Building Safety & Compliance, Zero Carbon, Development, Regeneration and Commercial Services.
Wayne Gethings, Chief Executive of Housing Plus Group, said: “Following a rigorous selection process, I’m delighted that both Suzanne and David are joining the executive team. Their skill sets, experience and knowledge will be invaluable in the next phase of our journey as a newly merged organisation.”
The Group has also named Sophie Jones as Director of People and Ed Thomas as Director of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs.
As the new Director of People, Sophie will lead all People Services across the Group building a positive and inclusive workplace and ensuring that Housing Plus Group is a great place to work.
Sophie brings a wealth of experience in leading teams that deliver high-quality people services, having worked not only in housing but also across the charitable and Financial Services sectors.
Sophie said: “I’m delighted to take on this role and look forward to working with my new team and all colleagues to foster a workplace where everyone feels valued and supported.”
Ed Thomas will be responsible for the organisation’s marketing, communications and and public affairs and will work with his team to build on the success of its HPG Live staff conference and will also take a lead in its stakeholder management.
Ed has previously worked across many different sectors – both here in the UK and Europe – in a range of senior communications and public affairs roles.
Ed said: “I’m thrilled to be leading this team and I’m looking forward to working closely with them to deliver communications that strengthen our connectivity internally, profile with customers and the community, while also building partnerships with key stakeholders in our region.”
Housing Plus Group is one of the largest social housing providers in the West Midlands with 33,000 homes serving customers across Shropshire, Staffordshire and Telford & Wrekin, offering a range of tenures to meet identified housing needs.
