Optivo names new operations director

Troy Francis has re-joined housing association Optivo to become its director of operations after working at Brent council for more than two years.

Francis (pictured) worked for the London-based Optivo as assistant director of operations for five months in the middle of 2017, before joining the north London council in October of that year.

He was head of housing and neighbourhoods in Brent for more than two years before being appointed director of customer access, working in that role for four months.

He was previously a regional director at Southern Housing Group and head of area housing at Hounslow council in west London.

Jane Porter, Optivo’s chief operating officer, said Francis had a long track record of working in senior housing roles, both in housing associations and local authorities.

Last month, Optivo admitted the costs of making properties fire-safe combined with a depressed housebuyer market meant it was putting the brakes on developing private sale housing.

Paul Hackett, the housing association’s chief executive, said the sector was being forced to “recalibrate” its expectations following the costs of carrying out fire safety remediation work following post-Grenfell changes to building regulations, and as a result of the weaker market.

Optivo owns and operates 45,000 homes in the capital, the South-east and the Midlands.