Gentoo has hired Louise Bassett as its permanent chief executive.

The 30,000-home association has decided to give Bassett the job on a permanent basis after serving as an interim since the sudden departure of Nigel Wilson in January.

 Louise Bassett has been appointed permanent CEO of Gentoo after serving as interim for nearly five months

Bassett has worked at the Sunderland-based landlord for seven years, serving as HR director initially and then as executive director of corporate services. She previously worked for biopharmaceutical company Merck for 14 years in a series of HR-related roles and before that for Pfizer.