MTVH Chief Executive becomes new G15 Chair
- 7 June 2021
Geeta Nanda OBE, Chief Executive of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH), has today (7th June 2021) become the new Chair of the G15 group of London’s largest housing associations. Richard Hill, Chief Executive of One Housing, will take on the Vice Chair role.
Geeta succeeds Helen Evans, Chief Executive of Network Homes, who has led the group as Chair for the last two years.
The G15 collectively provides homes for 1 in 10 Londoners and are the largest providers of affordable homes in the capital. They build a quarter of all London’s new homes and collectively own or manage more than 600,000 homes.
Geeta Nanda OBE, Chief Executive of MTVH and G15 Chair, said:
“By working together, the G15 proudly makes the case for more people to have access to an affordable, safe, and secure place to call home. We champion the remarkable contribution good homes and communities can make to people’s lives and their importance to London.
“I am really pleased to be taking on the Chair of the G15 at such a critical time with many important issues on the agenda. From making sure the communities we are part of are supported to recover from the pandemic, to continuing to deliver more homes, and addressing the building safety crisis as well as the climate emergency – there is a great deal to be getting stuck into.
“The organisations that make up the G15 have been at the heart of London life for decades, just like MTVH, which was founded to provide better homes for members of the Windrush Generation in 1950s London. Many members also operate across the country too, meaning we are well placed to help contribute to meeting the important challenges that lie ahead.
“I hope to use my time as Chair to work with colleagues across the G15’s members to take advantage of the great opportunities we have to work together and to learn from each other to continuously improve the services and support we offer our residents, and to be dynamic and diverse organisations that come up with solutions.
“Despite the impact of the pandemic, in the last year G15 members started construction on almost 11,000 homes and we also completed over 11,000 new homes. Together, we are set to build around 120,000 affordable homes in London and the South East over the next 10 years, meaning we are key a partner to local, regional, and national government in achieving our shared ambition to tackle the housing crisis.
“On behalf of all members, I want to thank Helen for all she has done over the last two years as Chair. Her leadership throughout the pandemic was critical in allowing members to share insight and respond quickly to support our residents. Our role in the response to the pandemic over the last year has also shown that our connections with communities run deep and extend across partnerships. We want to see a stronger and fairer London emerge from the pandemic, and we are committed to playing our part in achieving this ambition alongside our partners.”
Richard Hill, Chief Executive of One Housing and G15 Vice-Chair, said:
"Here at One Housing, we feel that we’re privileged to be part of the G15, part of something bigger which is helping to not only support Londoners in their homes but also provide much needed housing across the Capital.
"I am pleased to be taking on the Vice-Chair of the G15. There are many challenges and I am looking forward to helping Geeta, and colleagues across the G15, to address them. A key priority is supporting the recovery from the pandemic is uppermost in my mind. We will continue to help our residents, paying special attention to their mental health needs, as it has been a difficult, worrying and stressful year for us all. We will also continue to do what’s right for our residents by improving customer services and ensure we, as housing associations, continue to meet the highest safety standards, despite the complexity and changes we face as these standards evolve.
"As a provider of care, this year has been particularly tough for our customers, but front line staff have been amazing and have gone above and beyond. As we move forward, we mustn’t forget the sacrifices that have been made and working with the government, we have a real opportunity to revitalise the care sector."
Geeta Nanda OBE Biography:
Geeta is Chief Executive of Metropolitan Thames Valley, which provides housing at different levels of affordability for people living in London, the South East, East Midlands and East of England and is responsible for over 58,000 homes, alongside a range of care and support services.
Across a career of nearly 30 years, she has held a variety of leadership roles in the housing sector. Geeta was Chief Executive of Thames Valley Housing for nine years, and then Chief Executive of Metropolitan from October 2017, before the two organisations merged. She established the highly successful market rent subsidiary, Fizzy Living, in 2012.
Geeta has served on the boards of a number of other housing organisations and is a Board member of the National Housing Federation, a non-Executive member of PRS REIT plc, the UK’s first quoted real estate investment trust to focus on high-quality new-build family homes for the private rental market, and an Ambassador for the charity World Child Cancer. In 2013, Geeta was awarded an OBE for achievements in social housing.
Richard Hill Biography:
Richard is Chief Executive of One Housing. Before joining One Housing, Richard led Spectrum Housing for three years as chief executive, taking the organisation into a merger with Sovereign Housing. He previously held a number of senior roles at the Homes and Communities Agency, including Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Programmes.