Housing 21 has appointed a new Chair of the Board to actively drive the organisation’s social purpose, mission, values and ambitions.

Gurpreet Dehal was appointed to the role at the beginning of February following a comprehensive interview process which included input from Housing 21 residents.

Complementing an impressive CV including non-executive appointments spanning Government departments, education and infrastructure, as well as his current Chair role at The University of Derby, becoming Chair of Housing 21 marks Gurpreet’s first appointment in the housing sector.

Gurpreet said: “I am absolutely delighted to take on the role, and look forward to working with such a committed Board, with a highly experienced Chief Executive in Bruce Moore, and with all in the wider Housing 21 family in delivering quality homes for older people of modest means. Throughout the interview process and during my visit to Housing 21’s schemes, the emphasis on people – both residents and employees – really stood out as a consistent focus for the organisation, and something which I believe is at the heart of every great organisation.

“There has been some fantastic work undertaken by the previous Chair, Stephen Hughes, and I am looking forward to building upon those foundations to further the impact of Housing 21’s social purpose. The organisation is absolutely committed to supporting residents and delivering inclusive communities, and I am passionate that residents receive an excellent experience.”

Gurpreet’s executive experience was in financial risk management and investment banking global operations, with senior leadership positions at Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse from 2006 to 2014.

From here, he has pursued a portfolio career with non-executive roles in higher education, multi-academy trusts, financial services, including advising the Government on access to dormant assets, infrastructure and an NHS commissioning group. This has also included non-executive roles within Defence for nearly nine years and, in January this year, he took on the role of Independent Member of the RICS Governing Council.

Gurpreet obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Physics from the University of Oxford and subsequently a Master's Degree in Applied Statistics and Operational Research at Birbeck, University of London. More recently, in 2016, he achieved a Master's Degree in Higher Education: Research, Evaluation and Enhancement at Lancaster University.

Bruce Moore, Chief Executive of Housing 21, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to announce Gurpreet as our new Chair of the Board and look forward to benefiting from his extensive knowledge and professional experience. What really shone throughout the interview process was Gurpreet’s passion for our social purpose, particularly in delivering quality homes for older people of modest means and our commitment to always put residents at the heart of our decision making, which becomes even more important with the Social Housing Regulation Act coming into effect in April.

“For Gurpreet, this appointment represents a new opportunity in a new sector while for us, it is a chance to gain fresh perspective and insight into how we continue to improve upon our achievements and grow the organisation without losing sight of the current and future needs of our residents.

“With a new Chair in place and 2024 representing Housing 21’s 60^th anniversary as a housing association, we are looking forward to a bright and successful future whilst recognising and building upon our past achievements.”