Former RLB boss joins housing association giant

The former global chair of consultancy Rider Levett Bucknall has joined the board of housing association giant Peabody.

Ann Bentley, who spent more than 30 years at RLB, stepped down at the end of October and starts her new role at Peabody today.

She joins Peabody’s board as it aims to build out a development pipeline worth £1.1bn including 7,000 homes through its strategic partnership with the Greater London Authority.

In a trading update for the six months to the end of September, Peabody reported turnover of more than £500m for the first half of the financial year and built 1,000 homes in that period.

Bentley is also on the board of the Construction Industry Council and is a visiting professor of business management at Birmingham City University.

Peabody also announced that it has hired an executive director from fellow housing association giant Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) as its new chief operating officer.

Elly Hoult, currently group director of assets and sustainability at NHG, will take up an expanded COO role at Peabody fully in the spring. She will joins the association next month as part of a handover plan.