Meet the new independent chair of BSR residents’ panel

Gill Kernick pledges to ensure that residents can ‘inform, challenge and refine the building safety regime.’ 

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has announced the appointment of Gill Kernick as independent chair of its residents’ panel, a statutory committee established under the Building Safety Act 2022. 

The panel aims to ensure residents’ voices and experience inform the BSR’s work in improving the safety of high-risk buildings (HRBs) and supporting the building safety regime.  

The independent chair is a voluntary role and Ms Kernick, who is currently Director of Strategy and Culture Realisation at the global consultancy Arup, will serve in a personal capacity. She will be responsible for leading the panel, providing independent advice and holding BSR to account, on behalf of residents. 

Ms Kernick has for several decades worked with high-risk industries and has extensive experience in organisational culture, systemic change and the prevention of catastrophic events. In addition, between 2011 and 2014 she was a resident of Grenfell Tower, and is the author of the book Catastrophe and Systemic Change: Learning from the Grenfell Tower Fire and Other Disasters (2021) – ‘an excellent book,’ said IOSH magazine, ‘about how to identify if your organisation has its own Grenfell Tower in waiting. 

Ms Kernick says: ‘Residents bring a unique understanding of building safety through their everyday lived experience. By bringing this knowledge and insight together with technical expertise, we can help create safer homes. The residents’ panel provides an important opportunity to ensure that residents’ voices and expertise can meaningfully inform, challenge and refine the building safety regime.’ 

Charlie Pugsley, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Building Safety Regulator, adds: ‘Residents are central to the building safety regime, and their experiences are essential to helping us build a regulatory system that is effective, proportionate and concentrates on the people it exists to protect. I am delighted to welcome Gill as independent chair of the residents’ panel and look forward to working with her and the panel as they help shape and improve our work.’

Photo: Gill Kernick, Independent Chair of the Residents Panel at the Building Safety Regulator, photo courtesy of BSR

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