Helen Wilson has joined housing provider Abri as Regional Managing Director for the Group’s recently created south region, taking overall responsibility for more than 16,000 homes.
Helen brings a wealth of customer-focused experience to the role, having most recently served as Head of Housing at a London-based housing association, where she was responsible for leading housing services, managing regional performance and administration, driving neighbourhood and estate improvements and delivering resident involvement.
She has previously held a range of senior housing and community investment roles, including Head of Strategic Partnerships and Projects, Director of Social Value and Group Head of Energy and Green Strategy. Prior to her work in the affordable housing sector, Helen worked in local and central government roles, including Westminster City Council and London Borough of Hounslow.
Recently, Abri has split its operating area into three regions, each with its own local governance, leadership, and customer panels. This decision, part of Abri’s ‘large but local’ approach, enables Abri to be closer to the communities it serves and to best meet local needs. Before Helen joined the team, Abri launched its south east region in October 2023, led by Regional Managing Director, Dasos Christou, which has already benefited from increased community investment and the creation of a regional board.
Commenting, Ralph Facey, Executive Director of Operations at Abri, said:
“We’re very pleased to welcome Helen to Abri. Her strong track record of delivering quality housing services across London will help us to greater understand the needs of our customers in the south and make improvements in the areas that really matter to them. Her passion and commitment to the sector is evident and she shares Abri’s belief that a good quality, affordable home is the cornerstone to improving life chances.”
Helen Wilson said:
“I have always been passionate about helping to provide people with a safe and secure home, so it was important to me that my next role would allow me to continue to deliver services in line with these values. That’s why I’m pleased to be leading the rollout of Abri’s regional model in our south region. I can see already that Abri is committed to putting the customer at the centre of its work as the organisation grows, and I’ve seen the positive impact our regional model has had on our customers and community in the south east. I’m looking forward to driving local positive outcomes for our customers in the south region.”