Today we've announced that Léann Hearne has joined the Notting Hill Genesis group board as a non-executive director.
Léann is an experienced non-executive director with a track-record of building high performance customer service cultures and implementing best in class governance and regulatory compliance. She is currently the group chief executive of Livv Housing Group and vice chair of Yorkshire Housing, meaning she brings a wealth of valuable sector experience to our group board. Specifically, she oversaw Livv’s return to a compliant G1/V1 rating and has supported three other chief executives as they have progressed from G3 to G1.
Léann will chair a new sub-committee of the group board, with responsibility for monitoring the delivery of our regulatory compliance plan, which we are working with the regulator to have in place by the end of March 2025.
Group board chair Ian Ellis said: “I am delighted to welcome Léann to the board. Léann has a wealth of experience of regulatory compliance and strategic leadership within the social housing sector, and further complements the existing skills and experience of our board.
"In a field of strong candidates, Léann’s customer focus stood out and fits well with our strategic mission of working better together for our residents.”
Chief executive Patrick Franco added: “The regulatory judgement acknowledged that we had already introduced changes across the organisation to drive improvement in the longer-term and had started to see progress. I am confident that Léann’s leadership of our new compliance sub-committee will provide constructive challenge and guidance to ensure we maintain momentum in our ongoing drive to become a more resident-focused organisation.”
Léann said: “I started working in housing associations because their purpose is so compelling – the values and people really matter to me.
"I’ve been in the sector for 17 years and remain driven to do the best of customers and communities. I see those values in Notting Hill Genesis and its leadership team and look forward to supporting the board in its regulatory action plan.
“I know from first-hand experience what it takes to bring a housing association back to compliance and am absolutely confident we have the expertise and leadership in place to do so.”
In addition to her housing association roles, Léann is also chair of the Liverpool City Region Housing Association Partnership, strategic lead for the Knowsley Better Together Partnership and a board member for the Northern Housing Consortium. She has previously been an executive director at The Riverside Group, director of operations at ExtraCare Charitable Trust, a trustee at Shakespeare North Playhouse Trust and vice chair of Futures Housing Group, where Léann’s interest in social housing and communities began.
