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Gavin Barwell lands board appointment at major housing association
Former housing minister Gavin Barwell has been appointed to the board of Clarion Housing, the UK’s largest housing association.
Mr Barwell, who was also chief of staff to Theresa May when she was prime minister after losing his seat in the 2017 election, will join the landlord with immediate effect.
He said: “I have long been a champion of the role played by housing associations in tackling the housing crisis, having been fortunate enough to witness first-hand the vital contribution they make, during my time as housing minister.
“I look forward to continuing to contribute to the sector by joining an organisation committed to building homes and communities for the long term.”
Mr Barwell held the housing brief in the immediate lead up to Grenfell Tower tragedy, and was criticised after Inside Housing revealed that MPs had sent him seven letters asking him to review fire safety rules which were not acted upon during that time. He lost his Croydon Central seat to the now shadow housing minister, Sarah Jones a week before the fire in the 2017 general election.
Mr Barwell said last month that he expected to be called to give evidence before the public inquiry into the fire.
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Alongside Mr Barwell, Clarion has also appointed Tom Smyth, a vice-chair in financing advisory and an advisory partner at Rothschild & Co, to the board.
During his 23 years at Rothschild & Co, Mr Smyth has advised the boards of the biggest listed and private equity-owned companies on their funding, risk management and treasury strategies.
He will replace Tania Brisby as chair of Clarion’s treasury committee when she stands down in February.
David Avery, chair of Clarion’s board, said: “I am delighted that Gavin and Tom are joining the board.
“They join a strong team of non-executive directors with the skills and talent to help to run the largest social landlord in England. These two appointments now complete the refresh of our board due to time-served retirements.”
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