L&Q further strengthens the voice of residents at Board level

L&Q has appointed Fayann Simpson OBE as its Senior Independent Director (SID) to draw upon her passion, expertise and knowledge of the social housing sector and further strengthen the voice of residents at Board level.

Fayann, who has been an active resident for more than 20 years, joined L&Q’s Group Board in 2018 and is also Chair of L&Q’s Resident Service Board (RSB). She has worked tirelessly both within L&Q and across the wider sector to drive continuous improvement for residents.

Following the Grenfell tragedy, she has also taken a place on Dame Judith Hackitt’s Industry Safety Steering Group, setting standards that will ensure residents of high-rise buildings are safe. Her expertise sees her taking part in various high-profile debates, and she is a regular media commentator.

L&Q Group Chair Aubrey Adams said: “All our residents deserve to live in safe, quality homes, and to receive the best possible services. It’s only by listening and learning from our residents that we can continue to improve and meet their changing needs.

“Last year, we strengthened the role of residents in our governance structures by creating a new Resident Services Board, which holds the Group Board to account. We are now taking this a step further by drawing on Fayann’s unrivalled passion, knowledge and expertise to help drive forward L&Q’s five-year corporate strategy and ensure that residents are at the heart of everything we do.”

Fayann Simpson said:“L&Q will continue to have regular engagement with its wider resident base through Resident Services Board and other committees, but my new role as Senior Independent Director will make sure that their voices are heard and listened to at the highest level.

“Our new five-year strategy will see a focus on delivering consistent, reliable services, while investing £1.9 billion into homes and neighbourhoods. To successfully deliver this strategy, it is essential that there is a ‘co-production’ approach with residents, and that is what I will be focusing on in this new role.”

Another senior appointment will see Resident Services Board member Kristian Melgaard join L&Q’s Development Committee. This committee is responsible for overseeing L&Q’s strategic objectives as a developing housing association.

Kristian is the Managing Director of Barking and Dagenham Reside, a set of housing companies set up to help support the borough’s vision of delivering 50,000 new homes over the next 20 years. In this role he is responsible for the overall strategic direction, leadership, and governance of Reside, as well as its financial and operational performance.

Kristian has 17 years’ experience of working in the affordable housing sector and has occupied a variety of senior housing, customer services and operational roles at registered housing providers. He also sits on the London Board of the Chartered Institute of Housing.