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Platform Housing Group has announced that it has assigned a new chief executive, after the new boss it appointed six months ago decided not to take up the role.
Elizabeth Froude, who for the past seven years has been deputy chief executive of Notting Hill Genesis (NHG), will become chief executive of Platform next week, taking over from David Pickering, who is retiring.
Midlands-based Platform announced in January that Ian Wardle, current chief executive of Thirteen in Stockton-on-Tees, was to take up the role, but he is understood to have changed his mind. A spokesperson for Thirteen said: “Ian Wardle did not join Platform Housing Group in April due to a health issue within his family. Ian remains at Thirteen as its group chief executive.”
Ms Froude announced that she was to leave NHG in November and said at the time that she was not leaving to take up a position elsewhere immediately, but wanted to “look for my own personal next step as a chief executive”.
As well as being on the senior team at the London housing association, Ms Froude has been involved in setting up new funding vehicle MORhomes. She began her career in 2005 at Parkside Housing, which eventually became Radian Group after a three-way merger with Drum Housing Association and Oriel Group.
Ms Froude said: “I am truly looking forward to joining this great organisation as it starts the next step in its evolution. It has a strong legacy and I can already see it has many great people with a passion for good customer service and strong stakeholder engagement.”
Platform was formed last October when Waterloo Housing and Fortis Living merged, creating one of the largest housing associations in the Midlands with around 1,200 staff and 45,000 homes.
Dennis Sleath, chair of the board at Platform, said: “The appointment of Elizabeth as our new group chief executive comes at a very exciting time for the company as we enter a period of continued growth and change. She is a highly dynamic individual with extensive experience in transformation and integration projects. We are confident that Elizabeth will lead the company into the future with assurance.”