Former L&Q Chair passes away

Tributes have been pouring in for former L&Q Chair Robert Appleyard, who passed away last week following a short illness.

Robert first joined L&Q as a Group Board member in 1988, and was Chair of L&Q’s low-cost home ownership subsidiary from 1992 to 1998.

In 1998 he became Chair of the L&Q Group and oversaw a period of major growth and transformation until his retirement in 2006.

With Robert at the helm, L&Q gained a Chartermark award in recognition of its excellent customer service at the turn of the millennium. Having satisfied residents and solid services meant that L&Q was then in a position to embark on a period of rapid expansion through regeneration and merger opportunities.

Four major mergers saw 17,000 homes added to L&Q's portfolio, and in 2003 L&Q staff voted the group into The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies list for the first time, a feat which would be repeated every year for the rest of the decade.

L&Q Chief Executive David Montague said today: “Bob embodied the values of L&Q. He was professional, business-like and at ease with the big numbers and risks, but also empathetic, easy to get on with, passionate, people-focussed and caring.

“Bob was the first L&Q Chair that I had the pleasure of working with.  He showed me what good governance looked like and what a good relationship between Chair and CEO looked like.  And he steered the organisation through a period of unprecedented growth and change.

“We have a lot to thank Bob for. We will miss him, but his memory will live on in the mission of L&Q.”

L&Q Chair Aubrey Adams added: “Bob played a crucial role in making L&Q the organisation it is today. His name will forever live on in our history, and his legacy will be carried into our future.”

Robert was always a humble man, and summed up his life’s significant achievements in typically under-stated note just a couple of weeks before he passed away: “I did my best, and I enjoyed it”.