Helen Evans now at the helm of 68,000-home non-compliant landlord
Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) has confirmed Patrick Franco has now departed the £700m-turnover housing association.
The 68,000-home landlord officially announced this morning that former Network boss Helen Evans has been drafted in as interim chief executive on a 12-month contract, as first revealed by Housing Today yesterday.
In a long post on the social media platform LinkedIn this morning, Franco said tackling the housing crisis “can seem like an insurmountable challenge, even a hopeless task”.
The former Foxtons chief operating officer, who led NHG since 2023, said: “Former US president Barack Obama once said, ‘the best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something…If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.’
“To all those working night and day to alleviate the housing crisis in this country, know that you are not just giving people a roof over their heads, you are giving them hope for the future, and that is one of the greatest gifts you can give”.
Brendan Sarsfield, chair of NHG, said the organisation is grateful to Franco for “his dedication and leadership.”
He said: “Under his tenure we have strengthened governance and made progress towards returning to regulatory compliance, alongside making important safety and compliance improvements in our homes. He has overseen a simplification of the group and our commitment to deploy significant capital, £1bn over the next ten years, into our existing homes and building safety. We wish him all the best for the future.”
Sarsfield said new interim CEO Evans “has a passion for social housing and for the social purpose of NHG.” Evans was formerly chief executive of Network Homes for 12 years, She is also a former chair of the G15 and currently chairs Moat Homes.
The provider has been working on an improvement plan after being downgraded to a non-compliant ‘G3’ governance grade by the Regulator of Social Housing in November 2024.
On Friday NHG announced it will file its accounts late for the second time in three years.
NHG in July said it will report a pre-tax deficit of £285.7m in 2025/26, due mainly to one-off asset valuation adjustments, impairments and building safety remediation provisions.
The landlord has over the past few months drafted in several experienced social housing figures to help it return to regulatory compliance.
Earlier this year chief financial officer Mark Smith stood down and NHG drafted in Ken Youngman, formerly of Family Mosaic as interim. It also last year appointed former Peabody boss Brendan Sarsfield as chair and has recruited former Curo Group chief executive Victor da Cunha as chief customer officer.
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