South West housing association announces new chair
Two Rivers Housing has announced the appointment of a new chair, who will take up his post in the autumn.
The 4,400-home landlord, which serves households in the Forest of Dean and Gloucestershire, said it had appointed Ted Pearce as its chair designate in April.
Mr Pearce has sat on Two Rivers’ board since 2019 and already chairs the association’s development board.
Previously, he was the director of strategic asset management at Orbit. In all, he has four decades’ experience across the housing, property and construction sectors.
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This includes almost 10 years as Severn Trent Water’s director of property services before he joined Orbit in 2016, four as the Bank of Ireland’s director of group property in the early 2000s and several as a portfolio manager at Barclays Bank in the late 1980s.
Mr Pearce is a chartered surveyor and a fellow of both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
He will succeed Yvonne Leishman, a former chair of both the Chartered Institute of Housing and HouseMark, whose term will conclude in October 2024.
Ms Leishman, who received an OBE in 2005 for services to social housing, joined the Two Rivers’ group board in 2017 and was appointed as chair the following year.
A statement announcing Mr Pearce’s appointment praised her “tireless” work to create excellent homes and services throughout her career.
“Over the last six years, Yvonne has led Two Rivers Housing, ensuring that tenants remain at the heart of its decision-making,” it said.
She will work alongside Mr Pearce over the next few months to ensure a smooth handover, the statement added.
Hayley Selway, Two Rivers’ chief executive, said Ms Leishman had been a “fantastic” chair for the organisation.
“Over the last six years, she has guided us through two in-depth assessments and been a real advocate for keeping tenants at the heart of Two Rivers Housing. I’d like to thank her for everything she has done for our organisation and wish her a long and happy retirement.”
Ms Selway added that replacing Ms Leishman had been tough and that Two Rivers was fortunate in terms of the calibre of candidates who had applied.
“During the interview process, Ted set out his ambitions for Two Rivers Housing and a clear commitment to helping us become the best community-based housing association in the UK,” she said.
“Alongside this, his knowledge and experience of the property and construction industries together with the housing sector meant he stood out as the best candidate for the job.”
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