James joins BHA with extensive experience in and outside the housing sector, bringing a proven track record of delivering high quality services for customers, leading organisational change, and working collaboratively with customers, colleagues, contractors and partners to create thriving communities.

In his role, James will lead the strategic direction and operational delivery of responsive repairs and compliance, BHA’s net zero approach and the delivery of the organisation’s asset management strategy.

Michelle Meldrum, chief executive at BHA, said: “I am delighted James will be joining us at BHA to further strengthen our fantastic team. He brings a breadth of experience to the role and throughout the recruitment process, James consistently demonstrated the values that are at the heart of our organisation.

“As we continue to invest in our homes and communities, James will play a key role in delivering our plans for the future and I’m looking forward to working with James as we enter the next chapter of our improvement journey.”

James added: “I’m looking forward to joining the executive team at BHA at this stage of the organisation’s journey. It’s a great time for me to join to build on the strong foundations at BHA and deliver excellent outcomes for customers.”

James has previously held senior leadership positions at Kingdom Housing Association, Your Homes Newcastle and Beyond Housing. He also brings out-of-sector experience in the UK and internationally as a consultant. James is a qualified coach and active member of the Institute of Customer Service (ICS), and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), where he previously chaired the North East Regional Group.

James joins BHA on Monday 20 July.