Sir Peter Dixon would be the chair of the new 77,000-home social landlord

Paul Hackett

Paul Hackett to be the chief executive of the new association Southern Housing

Housing associations Optivo and Southern have named their designate board for the likely merger in December this year. 

Sir Peter Dixon, current chair of Optivo’s board, has been confirmed as the designate chair of the board of the new 77,000-home social landlord. 

His appointment and that of the vice chair, Janet Collier, current chair of audit and risk committee at Southern Housing Group, were named last month when the designate executive team was announced. 

It has also been confirmed Carol Rosat, currently the chair of audit and risk committee at Southern Housing Group, will be the chair of the people committee for the new organisation. 

The full list of the designate board has now been revealed and is below. 

It will set the strategy and monitor performance and service delivery for Southern Housing, which will be the name of the new organisation.

Four of the board members will be residents. Boards of both organisations backed the merger, which is subject to due diligence and successful negotiations, in March.

Hackett has said rapidly rising construction costs and the need to invest in existing stock is driving the merger.  

Southern Housing’s designate board: 

• Sir Peter Dixon (chair)

• Janet Collier (vice chair)

• Carol Rosati (chair of people committee)

• Paul Hackett (chief executive)

• Michelle Dovey (chair of treasury committee)

• Howard Cresswell (chair of integration committee)

• Eugenie Turton (chair of housing and communities committee)

• Robert Clark (chair of development committee)

• Damien Regent (chair of audit and risk committee)

• Daisy Armstrong (resident board member)

• Grace Alaneme (resident board member)

• Philip Blume (resident board member)

• Ian Wilson (resident board member)

• Geanna Bray (independent member)

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