Hill Group Appoints New Head of Affordable Housing
Appointments
CIH Elects New Vice President
After a closely fought election period, Gavin Smith FCIH has been chosen by Chartered Institute of Housing( CIH) members as the organisation’ s next vice president.
Gavin, service manager at Fife Council, was elected ahead of fellow candidates Katrina Henshaw, Lee Buss-Blair, Nic Bliss and Richard Kennedy.
With a candidate statement centred around building healthy communities and raising the profile of the housing sector – with a focus on professionalism and the membership voice – Gavin has extensive experience across local authority, housing association and governance roles, and has served on the CIH Scotland board for over six years, standing down as Chair in 2025.
Commenting on the news, Gavin Smith said:“ I’ m honoured to be elected vice president by CIH members, and I want to thank everyone who supported me in public and in private, voted for me and those took part in what was a close election.
“ Housing matters because it shapes people’ s lives and the strength of our communities, and I’ m proud to have spent my career working to improve services for those who need them most.
Hill Group Appoints New Head of Affordable Housing
The Hill Group, has appointed Claire Studdart as Head of Affordable Housing, a newly created role that reflects the Group’ s continued growth and commitment to strengthening its partnerships with Registered Providers( RPs) and public sector organisations.
Claire will lead Hill’ s affordable housing strategy, work closely with RPs to deliver affordable homes under Section 106 agreements and build long-term, collaborative relationships. Her appointment underlines Hill’ s ambition to be the partner of choice for RPs, delivering high-quality homes while responding flexibly to the evolving needs of the sector.
Andy Hill OBE, Founder and Group Chief Executive of The Hill Group, said:“ We are delighted to welcome Claire to the business in this important new role. Her depth of experience, strong industry relationships and clear understanding of both the challenges and opportunities within the affordable housing sector make her a fantastic addition to the team.”
“ As we continue to grow, strengthening our partnerships with housing associations is a key priority. Claire’ s appointment reinforces our commitment to working collaboratively with our partners to deliver high-quality, much-needed affordable homes across the country.”
Karbon Appoints Housing Association CEO as New Chair of Board
Sinead Butters MBE has been appointed by Karbon Homes as the new chair of its group board.
Sinead is the Chief Executive of Aspire Housing and brings the experience of a 30-year career in social housing to the role. She is an accomplished non-executive director and is currently chair of Black Country Housing Ltd, with previous chair roles at Berneslai Homes and PlaceShapers.
On her appointment, Sinead said:“ I am deeply privileged to take up the role of Chair of Karbon Homes, working across the North East of England and Yorkshire to provide goodquality homes, excellent services and strong, sustainable places.
“ My career in housing, including as a PlaceShaper, has shown me the vital role housing associations play in helping communities prosper. We will continue to put people at the heart of our decisions, listen to our customers, strive to provide high-quality services every day, and create the capacity to build more homes.
“ Karbon has a fantastic team, alongside brilliant stakeholders and partners who are united by our shared goal of delivering for communities and helping them thrive. I look forward to playing my part.”
104 Issue 28