National Housing Bank boosts top team with four new executives

Mr McKenzie will oversee the NHB’s aim of investing up to £16bn through debt, equity and guarantee products over the next decade. The bank also hopes to unlock around £53bn in private investment to deliver around 500,000 new homes.

Steve Willingham, currently head of global investment partnerships (debt) at DRC Savills Investment Management, is also joining NHB. Mr Willingham, who has also worked for HSBC and BlackRock, will take up the role of executive director for debt.

Barry Fowler, who has spent the last 11 years at global investment firm Aviva Investors, has been named as the NHB’s executive director for guarantees.

And Jennifer Murray, a long-serving Homes England executive, has been promoted to the role of executive director for equity at the NHB. Ms Murray is currently director of products, equity and partnerships for Homes England and the NHB.

All four are expected to take up their roles by the end of September.

Simon Century, the NHB’s chief executive and a former Legal & General executive, said the bank had secured “formidable skills, knowledge and experience” with the new appointments.

He said he was “excited to come together as a collective to ensure the bank... builds on early successes to achieve its aims at pace and with maximum effect”.

At its launch, the NHB announced a £100m partnership with Aviva, with the aim of developing up to 3,300 homes.

Since then, the bank has announced an £860m joint venture with developer Capital & Centric and Swiss Life Asset Managers, plus the acquisition of a site in Cambridge to unlock around 10,000 new homes.