Labour peer leaves board of BlackRock-backed for-profit

Jo Makinson, chief investment officer of 55,000-home housing association Abri, has also stepped down from Heylo Housing Group (HHG), which is the parent entity that oversees the organisation.

Ms Makinson left HHG’s board on 13 February.

She was chair of the for-profit’s audit and risk committee and had been a non-executive director at HHG for just over 14 months.

When she joined Heylo, Ms Makinson was chief finance officer of GreenSquareAccord.

Asked about the reason for her departure, the Heylo spokesperson pointed to the fact that Ms Makinson “recently took up the position” at Abri.

Jason Green, a corporate finance advisor who joined HHRP’s board last summer, has taken on the role of interim chair of its audit and risk committee.

Asked about replacements for Lord Adonis and Ms Makinson, the spokesperson said recruitment to fill vacancies will need approval from its board.

Heylo has experienced a number of changes to its board in the past couple of years.

In 2023, Tom Nicholson, the former chief operating officer of FTSE 250 house builder Crest Nicholson, joined HHRP as a director. 

Ebele Akojie, a former Settle, One Housing and Notting Hill Genesis executive, also joined HHRP’s board at the same time as Mr Green.

However, the provider lost Priya Nair as a director last February. She took the reins of The Housing Finance Corporation, replacing the long-serving Piers Williamson.