The National Housing Federation has announced the appointment of Kate Henderson as chief executive, following David Orr’s plans to retire in January.

 

The announcement of this change was made following a lengthy recruitment process to find the right candidate for the position. Ms Henderson, who is currently chief executive of The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), has a wealth of experience in comparable fields. She has led numerous campaigns on affordable housing, poverty, climate change and garden cities. She is also a board member of the international federation for housing and planning and has co-authored various books on planning.

Diana Warwick, chair of the NHF said “We had a very strong field of candidates for this critical role. It was never going to be easy to replace David, but the panel are delighted with the appointment we have made.

“Our challenge was to find someone who has the confidence and experience to engage at the highest levels in government, as well as the leadership credentials to win the trust of our diverse membership, inspire our team, and ensure the federation is commercially successful and sustainable, now and in the future. “We feel we have selected in Kate someone who can do all these things and more. She has proven herself to be a bold and effective leader at the TCPA. She gave us a particular confidence in terms of her ability to build trust and rapport with our broad range of stakeholders. “We are excited about the fact that she will bring fresh eyes to the role, has strong and relevant networks, and is knowledgeable and passionate about what to do.”

Ms Henderson said: “I am delighted to have been appointed chief executive of the National Housing Federation and am immensely looking forward to working with the team, board members and stakeholders. “With housing at the top of the political and public agenda, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with ambitious housing associations across the country to continue the federation’s impressive track record of shaping housing policy and ensuring housing associations are seen as key partners in delivering it.”

Ms Henderson will take up the post in October