Places for People hires new chief exec

Places for People has hired Greg Reed to take over from outgoing group chief executive David Cowans. Cowans announced his retirement from the housing association in April after 24 years at the helm. He will leave the company at the end of March. Reed will take on the role at the start of December. He was previously chief executive at home assistance provider HomeServe and held other roles at Clarion Housing Group. He said: “Places for People describes itself as a business that ‘makes a profit so it can make a difference’. I have been making a profit for companies my whole career, now I have found an organisation where profit creates huge social value.” Places for People Group’s property investment, development and management companies own and manage more than 219,600 homes and operate over 100 leisure facilities, with assets of £4.9bn. Under Cowans’ leadership, PfP was the first housing association to build homes for private sale. It has also pioneered modern methods of construction, build-to-rent and mixed-use development. Group chair Richard Gregory said: “For more than two decades, David has been an inspiring leader, whose passion and foresight has changed the way homes and communities are built. “David helped establish thriving communities across the country – places rich in diverse tenure which provide homes for people at all stages of their lives – creating a blueprint for other providers to follow.” To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@eg.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @EGPropertyNews Photo © Places for People