Secretary of state Michael Gove has announced a new chair of the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH).

Bernadette Conroy’s confirmation in the role follows a hearing by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee on 21 March, after which they endorsed her suitability for the role.

She has been appointed for a period of three years, commencing on 1 April 2022.

Minister for Rough Sleeping, Eddie Hughes MP, said: “I am delighted to appoint Bernadette Conroy as the new Chair of the Regulator of Social Housing.

“Bernadette brings with her a wealth of experience which will be invaluable as we transform how the social housing sector is regulated and I look forward to working closely with her over the next three years.

Bernadette Conroy said: “I am honoured to be appointed as the new Chair of the Regulator of Social Housing. This is a challenging time in the sector as we look to implement the enhanced regulation set out in the Social Housing White Paper.

“I look forward to building on the strong leadership of my predecessor, Simon Dow, as we create a more diverse Regulator that embraces proactive consumer regulation.

According to the government, Conroy is an experienced chair and non-executive director (NED), operating across a number of sectors, including financial services regulation, where she is a NED for the Financial Conduct Authority, and housing, where she is Chair of Network Homes.

She is also the Independent Chair of the Buildings and Estates Committee of Cambridge University with responsibility for the development and maintenance of the university’s estate and its capital build programme, and a NED for Milton Keynes Development Partnerships.

Prior to taking on a non-executive portfolio, Conroy held a number of executive roles in financial services, latterly as Global Head of Strategy and Planning for HSBC Corporate, Investment Banking and Markets.

She has an MA in Mathematics from Cambridge University and an MBA from INSEAD. In 2020, she received the Sunday Times Not for Profit Non-Executive Director of the Year award.