National Housing Federation names new chief executive

Kate Henderson has been appointed as the new chief executive of the National Housing Federation. 

Ms Henderson is currently the chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) and will take up the post in early October.

She succeeds David Orr who announced in January that he would be stepping down from the role this autumn.

‘I am delighted to have been appointed Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation and am immensely looking forward to working with the team, Board, members and stakeholders,’ said Ms Henderson.

‘With housing at the top of the political and public agenda I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with ambitious housing associations across the country to continue the Federation’s impressive track record of shaping housing policy and ensuring housing associations are seen as key partners in delivering it.’

The chair of the National Housing Federation, Baroness Warwick added: ‘We had a very strong field of candidates for this critical role. It was never going to be easy to replace David, but the panel are delighted with the appointment we have made.

‘Our challenge was to find someone who has the confidence and experience to engage at the highest levels in government, as well as the leadership credentials to win the trust of our diverse membership, inspire our team, and ensure the Federation is commercially successful and sustainable, now and in the future,’ added Baroness Warwick.

‘We feel we have selected in Kate someone who can do all these things and more. She has proven herself to be a bold and effective leader at the TCPA. She gave us particular confidence in terms of her ability to build trust and rapport with our broad range of stakeholders.

‘We are excited about the fact that she will bring fresh eyes to the role, has strong and relevant networks, and is knowledgeable and passionate about what we do.’