One of the most significant roles in affordable housing, the Chair of The Guinness Partnership (Guinness) leads the Board of one of the largest housing providers in the country.
Founded in 1890, we have stayed true to our purpose – to improve people’s lives and create possibilities for them – for over 135 years. Today Guinness manages over 70,000 homes for 160,000 residents across England, with a turnover of over £500m and a team of almost 2,500 people. The Regulator of Social Housing recently awarded us its highest possible ratings for both governance and consumer standards.
As our current Chair, Chris Wilson, prepares to step down in March 2027, we are looking for the right person to lead our Board into a new chapter.
That chapter will be defined by Guinness 2030, our ambitious new strategy shaped by listening to residents. Our ambition is simple and clear – to be a good landlord – and our strategy for delivering on that is built around five key objectives: great homes, great service, great neighbourhoods, a great place to work, and a great business. The incoming Chair will play a pivotal role in ensuring the Board models our resident focus and provides effective support and challenge to the executive team as we work to make those things happen – for residents, for colleagues, and for the communities we serve across England.
First and foremost, we are looking for someone who comes to this Chair role because they genuinely care about what we do and who we serve; someone with a determined commitment to residents and to delivering great services. The role requires strong non-executive experience, a sound understanding of the housing sector and the sector’s regulatory context, and the ability to balance the social and commercial dimensions of a business of our scale and complexity.
This is a role for someone who listens before they lead, who can chair complex discussions with skill and confidence, draw out the best from a diverse Board, and build a strong and trusted partnership with our CEO and executive team as we pursue the goals set out in Guinness 2030.
This is a remunerated position requiring a time commitment of around 3-4 days a month and regular attendance at meetings in London.
New Street Consulting Group is acting as an employment agency advisor to The Guinness Partnership on this appointment. For an informal conversation, please contact Hannah Scarisbrick at hscarisbrick@nscg.com and you can view the candidate pack here:
https://nscg.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Guinness-Partnership-Chair-Candidate-Pack-2026.pdf
The closing date for applications is noon on Monday 29 June 2026.
| Remuneration: | Up to £35500 per annum |
| Location: | London |
| Reference: | Guinness Chair_1780671343 |
| Type: | Permanent |
| Industry: | Property and Housing |
| Sector: | Social Housing |
| Skills: | Chair, Non-Executive, Board, Housing, Social Housing |
| Date added: | 5 Jun 2026 |
| Closing date: | 3 Jul 2026 |