First Ark Group are delighted to appoint Leann Hearne as our new Group Chief Executive. Leann joins from the Riverside Group, where she is currently executive director of shared services and business transformation.
In her role at Riverside, Leann has overall group-wide responsibility for business transformation, HR, IT, customer services and facilities. She brings extensive experience of large scale transformation programmes that have delivered governance best practice and significant improvement in services and efficiencies. She is ideally placed to drive the First Ark Group forward, ensuring the business continues to achieve its mission to change people’s lives and focuses on providing the highest quality homes that offer a safe and secure environment.
Leann’s appointment follows the recent retirement of Bob Taylor after 14 years in post.
Professor Peter Roberts, First Ark Group chair, said:
“Leann will bring with her a wealth of experience to ensure we can continue to put our customers at the heart of our services and continue our mission to change people’s lives.”
Leann Hearne said:
“The First Ark Group is a progressive organisation and I am proud to have the opportunity to drive it forward, together with the team. Providing affordable and accessible housing for our tenants, whilst delivering first class customer service, is our main focus and I cannot wait to get started.”
Leann was part of a team that led Riverside through an In Depth Assessment by the Regulator of Social Housing, maintaining V1/G1 status, and has strong experience of oversight of compliance requirements in high risk environments. This experience will support Knowsley Housing Trust in overcoming the challenges it has faced regarding compliance with regulatory standards and will support the review and approach to governance within the Group.
Leann also comes with a background in providing large scale support to vulnerable residents in multi-regulated environments having spent three years as executive director for Riverside’s extensive national care and support portfolio. Prior to her positions at Riverside, Leann was operations director for The Extra Care Charitable Trust, having previously held managing directorships in the manufacturing and logistics sectors.
Leann will begin a valuable contribution across the Group, working with interim Chief Executive Ian Munro, the Executive team and Board members ahead of her officially starting with us in November.