Melbourne Barrett will take over as chief executive this September
Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing Association (MTVH) has picked the chief executive of Nottingham City Council to be its new boss.
Melbourne Barrett, who has led the East Midlands city since 2020, will take over as chief executive of the housing association in the autumn when Geeta Nanda steps down.
Nanda, a board member of the National Housing Federation and former chair of the G15, announced in January that she was stepping down after 16 years in-post to focus on caring for her mother.
Prior to Barrett’s role at Nottingham, he has worked as chief executive of Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, held executive director roles at London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and Oxford City Council, and senior roles at London Borough of Lewisham, and the London Development Agency.
Barrett joins the group at a challenging time. The 57,000-home housing association’s balance sheet for 2023/24 was hit by £105m in write-downs and one-off cost provisions relating to fire and building safety works, forcing it to revise down its expectations for overall and operating surpluses.
MTVH chair Althea Efunshile, who led the search and selection process, said: “In Mel we believe we have found someone with exceptional capability and character to build on what we have achieved so far at MTVH, and lead us to the next phase of our development.
>> Read more: Geeta Nanda: ‘I will remain connected to housing, I think it’s in my blood now’
“He has decades of experience of leadership at scale, and has achieved this across a range of the services that we manage. Throughout his career he has put people, place, homes and regeneration at the heart of his work and has demonstrated an entrepreneurial approach combined with social purpose.
“Mel, as the child of Windrush Generation parents, is also a passionate champion for diversity and inclusion, equality of opportunity, and ensuring all voices are heard, values that are aligned with MTVH’s own.
“We look forward to Mel taking up his new post in early September after a transition period with our current CEO.”
Barrett added: “I am delighted to be joining MTVH at this pivotal time where there is a consensus across the country that more affordable homes are needed and that good consumer standards with high levels of effective tenant and customer engagement are a must.
“I look forward to building on the positive legacy of Geeta Nanda, and working with the Board, my colleagues and our residents, customers and stakeholders to build on MTVH’s existing strong position and provide more of the affordable homes that our country needs.”
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