Press release: New appointments to the Homes and Communities Agency Board

Four new appointments to the Homes and Communities Agency’s Board have been confirmed by the Communities Secretary Sajid Javid, as the agency takes a leading role in delivering the new homes the country needs.

Stephen Bell, Richard Blakeway, Councillor Simon Dudley and Councillor Teresa O’Neill OBE have been appointed following a recruitment process in line with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

The HCA is going through a period of change as it helps deliver a significant increase in housing supply and the Board will establish the overall strategic direction of the Agency, ensure it carries out its functions effectively and meets its targets.

The new appointments strengthen the HCA Board following the recent departures of Kevin Parry and Ian Robertson.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said:

This is an important period for the Homes and Communities Agency as it plays a key role in delivering the homes this country needs.

The agency will be vital for boosting housebuilding and speeding up the delivery of new homes so that everyone can benefit from having somewhere safe and secure to live.

These appointments will bring new skills, knowledge and considerable experience that will be of real benefit to the HCA’s Board.

Chairman of the Homes and Communities Agency Board, Sir Edward Lister said:

I am delighted to welcome these 4 new board members, who all bring a wealth of experience and expertise that will help our organisation to increase the scale and pace of delivery, and promote new approaches to housebuilding.

I would like to take this opportunity to offer my best wishes to departing board members and offer my sincere thanks for their hard work and support over the past few years.

Their work at the HCA has made a real difference to places across the country and hundreds of thousands of people have benefited from better homes and job opportunities.

• Stephen Bell

  He will be chairing the HCA Audit and Risk Assurance Committee. He has substantial experience of the banking sector having worked as Group Chief Risk Officer and Board Director for Ulster Bank and Wellesley Group.

• Richard Blakeway

  He has 20 years of experience of government. His previous roles include special adviser to the Prime Minister on housing, planning and regeneration and Deputy Mayor for Housing, Land and Property responsible for delivering the Mayor of London’s Housing Strategy.

• Councillor Simon Dudley

  He is currently Leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead as well as Lead Member for Housing. He also has a strong commercial background having previously worked as Executive Director of Global Capital Markets at Arcapita Ltd and Managing Director at Citigroup Global Markets Limited.

• Councillor Teresa O’Neill OBE

  She is leader of the London Borough of Bexley where she has been a councillor since 1998. In addition, she is Vice Chair and Conservative Group Leader on London Councils and a member of several London advisory boards. She also has a background in the financial services sector having worked for Merrill Lynch International.

The new board members have been appointed for 3 year terms.