‘I am keen to raise the profile of

NIGEL WILSON HAS TAKEN UP A NEW ROLE

The new man at the top of Sunderland housing giant Gentoo has unveiled his vision for the future.

Nigel Wilson took up his post as chief executive at the start of January. Talking exclusively to the Echo, the dad-of-three revealed why he had chosen to take the post despite the housing group’s recent troubles. “I’ve been involved in the housing business since 1985. I began in the housing coops in Birmingham when I moved from my home which was in a rural village in Lancashire. “After a couple of years of being a volunteer, I decided housing was more interesting than the career i had started in the civil service.” Nigel gradually worked through a variety of roles in local authorities and housing associations and 12 years ago applied for the job as chief exec at Parkway Green housing association.

He brought that together with a neighbouring company to create Wythenswawe Community Housing Group which looked after 14,000 homes, about half as many as Gentoo.

Nigel, wife Dawn and daugher Amy, 17, have moved to the North East. Sons George, 26, and 19-year-old Jack live in Amsterdam and Harrogate respectively.

“It was a bit of a relocation for the family but a really interesting and new challenge for me professionally in terms of bringing my experience to what is a really strong business and interesting one in a completely new part of the country,” said Nigel.

The priority for last month and this one has been meeting every employee: “I’m doing two sessions a day, four days a week meeting every colleague,” he said.

“I wanted to make sure that everybody working at Gentoo got a chance to sit down and have a face to face with me.

“I’ve been to the civic centre to meet Patrick, the chief exec, and the leader of the council and cabinet member for housing,

“The next aim is to get out on the estates

In October 2017, Gentoo was slammed for the way it had handled executive payoff deals.

The company was downgraded by the Homes and Communities Agency after a report said it did not ‘meet our governance requirements’ and there were ‘issues of serious regulatory concern.’

Last year the firm launched legal proceedings to recover a severance payment which had been made without board approval.

Nigel looked long and hard at the firm’s history before committing to the role.

“I had done my due diligence,” he said.

“I knew of Gentoo, I obviously knew some of the challenges it had faced in its recent past, I had met the chair Keith Loraine a few times over the course of our careers in housing.

“I had got a huge amount of time and respect for him, he’s somebody who’s held in high regard in the sector.

“I spoke to colleagues who I know in the North East to get a sense from them, as well as national organisations, so I did a lot of checking and taking the temperature with people because, obviously, it’s a massive decision, especially when you’re relocating the family.

“Everything I heard was massively positive - great business, held in high regard by colleagues in the business, gone through some challenges, was putting its house in order, was a key stakeholder and anchor institution in Sunderland, and a lot going on now in terms of the new leadership in the city - new ownership of the football club, new chief exec, new leader of the council, all of whom are working towards a new dynamic for the city of Sunderland

“I just thought it could be a really interesting opportunity to use my experience and knowledge.

“One of the things I am keen to do is raise the profile