Birmingham-based housing association The Pioneer Group, which owns 2,500 homes, has appointed four new Board members.

The G1/V1-rated landlord is based on the Castle Vale estate, which was regenerated through a government-sponsored Housing Action Trust from 1993 to 2004.  The new Group Board members are part of a longer term succession strategy as The Pioneer Group launches its 2020-25 Corporate Plan, through which it intends to build 250 new homes, increase resident satisfaction and improve the environmental performance of its homes.

The new members are Rose Klemperer, Andrew Olawale, Latisha Clark-Dhir and Ian Campbell.

Latisha Clark-Dhir is an Associate within the Real Estate Finance team at Avison Young and a Chartered Town Planner with nine years’ experience working both in the private and public sectors.  She previously worked for Walsall Housing Group.

Ian Campbell is a Risk & Controls Lead at Royal Bank of Scotland.  Most recently Ian has focused on maintaining strong risk profiles, balancing costs with risk appetite and supporting climate change preparedness for retail mortgages.

Rose Klemperer is Senior Associate Solicitor at Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP, specialising in social housing and community-led housing.  Rose is co-Chair of Women In Social Housing Midlands (WISH Midlands).

Dr Andrew Yakubu Olawale is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Surveyor with deep experience in infrastructure and commercial finance.  He is currently Associate Director at KPMG and has held management positions at FTSE 100 and 250 companies.

Carole Wildman, Chair of The Pioneer Group, said:

One of the strengths of the regeneration of Castle Vale was succession planning.  Our four new members mean the Board will have a much greater diversity of thought, background and experience and keep our governance effective for years to come. We are delighted to welcome them to The Pioneer Group.

Simon Wilson, Chief Executive of The Pioneer Group, added:

The four new Group Board members embody the spirit of community and bring a clear energy to the table. We had a large number of superb applicants for these voluntary roles showing that social housing is still held in high regard.

The Pioneer Group has also appointed Phil Done, Dan Wakely, Cliff Horrocks, Kate Algate and Nicolette Brown to roles in its wider governance structure.