Mervyn Jones appointed as new Chair of Great Places Board from 1 January 2024
We’re pleased to announce news of some exciting developments within our Board.
Tony Davison’s tenure as our Chair is coming to an end and, following a recruitment process, Mervyn Jones has been appointed to take over on 1 January 2024.
Tony joined the Great Places Board in September 2013, and took over as Chair in December 2013. Under our Code of Governance, there are limits on how long people are able to serve on Boards, and therefore Tony’s tenure will come to an end on 31 December 2023.
For continuity, it was agreed that following Tony’s departure we should recruit a Chair from the existing Board because it is important that the new Chair understands the context of our organisation, and Mervyn has now been announced as his successor.
Tony has overseen a lot of change and growth within Great Places during his time as Chair, including the merger with Equity in 2020.
Commenting on this significant change in our governance, he said:
I’m delighted that Mervyn has been appointed as my successor as the Chair of Great Places. Since joining us following the Equity merger, Mervyn has been a fantastic asset on the Board and two of our Committees, and brings a wealth of experience from the housing sector which will be extremely valuable in guiding the organisation through the next stages of its journey. I cannot think of safer hands to leave the organisation in.
Mervyn’s background is in housing, having enjoyed a long career in the sector. He has extensive experience within the housing sector, most recently as Chief Executive at Yorkshire Housing, a position which he held for over 10 years. Prior to this, Mervyn was Chief Executive at Willow Park Housing Trust in Wythenshawe, as well as sitting on a number of housing-related Boards as a non-executive member. Mervyn joined Equity’s Board in April 2019, and Great Places’ Board in 2020.
He lives in Sheffield and is very familiar with our operating area.
Mervyn said of his new appointment:
I am delighted to have been selected by my peers as the new Chair of Great Places from 2024 onwards. It has been an extremely challenging few years since I’ve joined the organisation with the pandemic, the economic situation and dramatic changes in the regulation of the sector. However, I’ve been continually impressed by how Great Places Board and colleagues have worked to meet those challenges. I’d particularly like to thank the outgoing Chair, Tony Davison, for his strong leadership over the last decade here as Chair and for the contribution he has made to the organisation. I’m looking forward to continuing this excellent work alongside the Board and Executive team going forward as we develop our new Corporate Plan and set out our ambitions for the coming years.
In other Board news, the existing Chair of Cube Homes Emma Mountford has also been appointed to the Group Board, and fellow Group Board Member Patrick Ricketts has been announced as Chair of our new Customer Committee from 1 January 2024.
To find out more about our Board members visit the link here – Great Places Board Members
