14 May 2024
Summary: We are delighted to announce the appointment of Melbourne (Mel) Barrett as our new CEO. He will take up his new role in early September after a handover from current CEO, Geeta Nanda OBE, who announced in January she would step down in the Autumn.
Mel joins MTVH from Nottingham City Council, where he has been Chief Executive since September 2020, providing visible leadership at an organisation with 7000 staff and a turnover of over £1 billion delivering vital public services, securing economic growth and improving life chances.
Throughout his 30-year career Mel has brought a focus on customer service, and a passion for people, place and the provision of homes to his work. Prior to his role at Nottingham Mel was Chief Executive of Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, held Executive Director roles at London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and Oxford City Council, and senior roles at London Borough of Lewisham, and the London Development Agency.
In each role Mel has provided leadership and entrepreneurial skill to form public private partnerships that transform lives and communities. At Basingstoke & Deane he led the implementation of a £4billion development and growth programme, at Oxford he championed the redevelopment of Westgate Shopping Centre, and the one thousand home Barton urban extension, both in collaborative joint ventures with the private sector. In Nottingham he Chairs the Nottingham Place Based Partnership that brings together NHS, local government and the voluntary sector to improve health and wellbeing outcomes, and he has played a major role in achieving the new devolution settlement with government for the East Midlands which has just seen a new Mayor for the East Midlands Combined County Authority elected.
MTVH’s Chair, Althea Efunshile, CBE, who led the search and selection process for the new CEO, supported by MTVH residents, Board members, and executive search specialists Odgers Berndston said:
“In Mel we believe we have found someone with exceptional capability and character to build on what we have achieved so far at MTVH, and lead us to the next phase of our development.
He has decades of experience of leadership at scale, and has achieved this across a range of the services that we manage. Throughout his career he has put people, place, homes and regeneration at the heart of his work and has demonstrated an entrepreneurial approach combined with social purpose.
This career long experience of working in partnership with Government, private enterprise, commissioning bodies, regulators and voluntary organisations to deliver better outcomes for residents and customers aligns with our vision to provide decent homes and the chance to live well.
Mel, as the child of Windrush Generation parents, is also a passionate champion for diversity and inclusion, equality of opportunity, and ensuring all voices are heard, values that are aligned with MTVH’s own.”
Mel Barrett, MRICS, said: “I am delighted to be joining MTVH at this pivotal time where there is a consensus across the country that more affordable homes are needed and that good consumer standards with high levels of effective tenant and customer engagement are a must.
I look forward to building on the positive legacy of Geeta Nanda, and working with the Board, my colleagues and our residents, customers and stakeholders to build on MTVH’s existing strong position, and provide more of the affordable homes that our country needs.