Peabody appoints finance expert as new chair

Peabody has appointed Caroline Corby as its new chair.

The 108,000-home association this morning announced Corby will take over in the role from April. David Hardy, who has served as interim chair following the death of previous chair Lord Bob Kerslake in June, will become vice-chair.

Corby has a background in finance and investment having worked in the City for a number of years, specialising in private equity.

She also has extensive non-executive experience in both the public sector and commercial sectors. She currently chairs The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care and the Parole Board for England and Wales.

She is currently vice-chair of Riverside Group and chair of Riverside subsidiary One Housing. She will stand down from both of these roles at the end of March before joining Peabody.

Under the leadership of chief executive Ian McDermott, Peabody has introduced a more regional approach to resident services, making managing directors responsible for specific areas.

Peabody last year announced it was scaling back development from the 3,000-homes a year ambition originally stated by Kerslake. However it still invested more than half a billion pounds in development in 2022/23.

Corby said: ”I’m looking forward to working with Ian and the executive team and am fully supportive of the organisation’s local focus and commitment to helping people flourish. I can’t wait to get started and plan to visit estates and local teams and meet as many residents and colleagues as I can during my induction over the next few months.”

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Ian McDermott, chief executive of Peabody, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Caroline to the organisation. Her experience, clarity and insight will be a great addition to the board, and I know our purpose and values are perfectly aligned.”