BRE Group has appointed Piers White MBE as its new Chair with effect from the end of November 2019.
He joins the group for three years at a time when the built environment industry is going through an exciting period of change and innovation.
Bringing a wealth of experience role, White has held almost 40 senior board positions during a career spanning more than 30 years, including almost a decade as a Non-executive Director of Hyde Housing, one the UK’s largest housing associations.
White currently serves as Chairman of Ploughshare Innovations which finds commercial applications for technologies developed by the United Kingdom’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Ministry of Defence (MOD), and of London Heathrow Airport’s export and import service, Courier Facilities Limited. Prior to these roles, he was UK Chief Executive and a member of the Group Management Board of Bank Insinger de Beaufort NV, until its sale to BNP Paribas in 2008, and also spent 15 years in retail banking at Barclays, where his last role was Service Director running the UK branches with 20,000 staff.
Announcing the appointment, BRE Group CEO, Gillian Charlesworth, said:
“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with Piers, whose skills, energy and ambition for BRE are clear. I’m confident that, with Piers in the chair, BRE will play an ever more important role in enhancing the built environment.”
Sir James Wates, Chair of BRE Trust – the parent organisation of BRE Group, said:
“I would like to congratulate Piers on his appointment. He brings extensive board and business experience which will be an asset to our profit for purpose agenda.”
White added:
“‘I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead this important organisation at a time when it can provide vital leadership to the myriad challenges currently facing the building environment sector.
“Challenge brings opportunity and I am looking forward to working with the leadership team and BRE Trust to ensure BRE continues to play a leading and innovative role in building construction, performance, safety and sustainability.”
