Avison Young appoints national lead for affordable housing

Avison Young has appointed Helen Collins as principal, national head of affordable housing and managing director for the Midlands region. Collins brings more than 30 years of experience in senior consultancy and delivery roles, specialising in transaction advisory, development, regeneration and investment within the public and private sector sectors. Prior to working for the firm, she was UK board director and head of affordable housing consultancy at Savills. In her dual role at Avison Young, Collins will lead the firm’s affordable housing team, driving growth in services for key stakeholders, leveraging the firm’s expertise in development, regeneration and residential investment. She will also oversee Avison Young’s Midlands multi-disciplinary operations as managing director. AY UK president Nick Walkley said: “Helen brings a proven track record as an experienced leader, building high-performing teams to deliver great value for affordable housing stakeholders. This appointment reflects our growth strategy for a new leading multi-disciplinary national affordable housing team, which will deliver great services to landlords, developers, lenders and investors.” Collins said she was looking forward to “championing the role partnerships can play” in delivering affordable housing. Image © Shaun Fellows