The Homes & Communities Agency has appointed council chief executive Nick Walkley as its new CEO.
Walkley has spent the last four years running the London Borough of Haringey, prior to which he was chief at so-called “Easy Council” Barnet.
The HCA is responsible for driving the delivery of new homes and business space, often helping with land assembly and administering finance aid for large-scale development.
It said Walkley had a strong track record leading organisational change and of attracting significant regeneration funding, citing around £1 billion of investment secured for Tottenham.
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HCA chair Sir Edward Lister said Walkley would help to ensure the agency led the government’s drive to increase the pace and scale of housing delivery.
“He is experienced in commercial partnerships, highly innovative, and has a strong reputation for delivery,” he added.
Communities secretary Sajid Javid said Walkley’s local authority experience would be “invaluable”.
Andy Rose was the HCA’s last permanent chief executive and chief accounting officer, serving from 2013 to spring this year, when he left to become head of global infrastructure advocacy agency GIIA.
Since April, Mark Hodgkinson has been interim chief executive.