No. 44/04

Press Release: Wednesday 1 September 2004

HOUSING CORPORATION ANNOUNCES FIVE NEW APPOINTMENTS

The Housing Corporation announced today that it had made appointments to the five Field Directors posts identified in the Corporation's new organisational structure.

The Field Directors for each of the fields are:

• Central - Margaret Allen
• London - Steve Douglas
• North - John Carleton
• South East - Fiona Cruickshank
• South West - Andrew Wiles

Jon Rouse, the Corporation's Chief Executive, said: "I am delighted to announce these five appointments as they demonstrate our intention to move quickly to a situation where each field has just one person in charge, a dedicated Field Director with line responsibility for regional investment teams, the regulation team and support staff."

"The Field Directors will lead regionally but, first and foremost, they are accountable to deliver against our corporate plan."

ends

For more information contact Gillian Watson on 020 7393 2095; email: gillian.watson@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk, or Robert Davies on 020 7393 2227; email: robert.davies@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk

Notes to Editors

1. The Housing Corporation is the Government agency responsible for regulating and investing in over 2,000 housing associations in England. It is changing the face of affordable homes, creating strong communities that are exciting places to live and work. Its biggest ever investment programe of £3.3 billion for 2004-06 will fund over 67,000 affordable homes. 16,000 of these will go to key workers and 25% will use some form of modern methods of construction.

2. Margaret Allen joined the Corporation in 1992, working initially on financial regulation, before moving into investment where she had responsibility for investment issues in East and East Midlands regions. She is currently the Director of Regulation and Best Value (Central) responsible for delivery of the Corporation's Regulation objectives across East Midlands, East of England and the West Midlands. Margaret has experience of housing in both the public and private sectors. As a Chartered Accountant, she worked as a Housing Accountant in Local Government, and then moved to the position of Head of Finance with a Midlands based housing association.

3. John Carleton joined the Corporation in July 2003 as the Director of Investment and Regeneration (North). Previously, he has accumulated over 20 years of work experience in Corporate Finance and Property across a range of financial insititutions from Senior Debt providers to Specialist 'Niche' focussed commercial banks and regeneration developments. He holds an MBA in Finance from Manchester Business School, and is a member of the Investment Property Forum and Association of Property Bankers.

4. Fiona Cruickshank joined the Corporation in June 2000. Fiona had recently taken over as Director of Investment and Regeneration for the South East region. Previously she was Director of Investment and Regeneration Policy for the Corporation and was responsible for producing the National Investment Policy and developing policies and strategies such as the Rural Policy and Housing for Older People. She was also responsible for the Innovation and Good Practice programme and for providing the Secretariat for the Home Ownership Task Force.

5. Steve Douglas joined the Corporation on April 2001 as the Director of Investment and Regeneration (London). The former Chief Executive of ASRA Greater London Housing Association he has headed two Housing Associations over the previous seven years. He has chaired the Joint Commissioning Forum in the London Borough of Greenwich and was a member of the original West London Housing Strategy steering group. He is a member of the London Housing Board and has