North East housing association Bernicia has further strengthened its boards and governance structures with the appointment of three leading professionals with decades of housing and business sector experience.
Gurpreet Jagpal, Vicky Miller and Richard Cave bring a wealth of housing sector, commercial business and charitable sector experience to Bernicia Group’s board and committees overseeing the strategic direction of the housing association, as well as to the board which oversees Kingston and its subsidiaries - the commercial arm of Bernicia’s business.
Gurpreet, chief executive of property development experts Durham Group and with significant social housing board level experience, joins the Bernicia Group and Kingston commercial boards.
Vicky, a housing professional for more than 20 years and head of business development and communications at North East refugee charity Action Foundation, brings her deep knowledge of social housing and customer engagement to the Bernicia Group board’s customer services committee.
And Richard, previously a member of the customer services committee, now brings his extensive housing experience and expertise particularly on consumer regulation, to Bernicia’s Group board, whilst also taking over as chair of the Kingston commercial board.
Gurpreet said: “I wanted to join an organisation which has a good cultural fit with me, an organisation with a great reputation across the North East and that’s what Bernicia has.
“It seems to be the perfect fit not only to sit on the Bernicia Group board but also the Kingston commercial board given my experience in social housing, corporate finance and commercial business sectors.”
Vicky said: “Bernicia places tenants at the heart of everything it does and I’m delighted to be sitting alongside tenant colleagues to help navigate and shape the best services and reputation for Bernicia communities in the North East.”
Richard said: “I will bring my experience to the Bernicia Group board from 36 years working across all aspects of housing and property management in the UK.
“I’ve worked closely with Bernicia tenants as an independent member of the customer services committee, ensuring compliance with regulatory and customer standards.”
Bernicia Chief Executive John Johnston said: “Gurpreet, Vicky and Richard will bring further strategic oversight and invaluable experience of the social housing and commercial business sectors to our boards and committees, ensuring we continue to successfully deliver quality homes and services for our tenants and customers.”
Northumberland headquartered Bernicia owns and manages more than 14,000 properties across the North East, employing over 570 people and with an annual turnover of more than £90m. The commercial arm of its business, headquartered in Newcastle, comprises of residential estates management expert Kingston, award-winning estate agent Living Spaces and Open Spaces, a specialist in estate management services.
