Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) has appointed two new executive directors in a restructure aimed at improving services for residents.
Chris Brook has been named executive director of place and will join in January 2026.
Brook will oversee development, asset management, strategy and delivery, and commercial revenue.
This new role supports local delivery of a major investment programme in Plymouth and the surrounding area, with ambitions to deliver at least 10,000 new homes.
Michelle Dawson was made permanent executive director of homes and communities earlier this year after serving as interim since November 2024.
She leads neighbourhoods and tenancy management, income and lettings support, customer experience, repairs and compliance, building safety, and communities and partnerships.
Brook and Dawson join Nick Jackson, executive director of business services, and CEO Jonathan Cowie, who started in September 2023, on the executive management team.
Gill Martin, executive director of corporate services at PCH, will retire at the end of 2025 after 44 years of service.
Following Martin’s decision to retire, the organisation restructured to align departments and streamline operations.
A new chief people officer role has been created to lead people and culture, communications, and strategy teams.
Brook joins from South Hams and West Devon district councils, where he has been director of place and enterprise since 2019.
He has also worked as head of assets and engineering manager for the two councils, and as principal engineer for Bristol City Council. Brook is a chartered civil engineer.
Brook said: “I’ve been looking for an opportunity to align my commercial skills in a social value sector as I’m really motivated to deliver positive change for people and communities, so this new role at PCH is the perfect fit.
“PCH is in a great position to play a key role in the work to reimagine the city of Plymouth as part of the bespoke plan with Plymouth City Council and Homes England to create 10,000 new homes in the city. If ever we could think differently about Plymouth, the time is now.
“PCH is also in a sweet spot for new partnership opportunities across the wider South West region because of what the organisation stands for and the reputation it has for capacity, resilience, trust and delivery, so it’s a very exciting time to come on board.”
Dawson has worked in housing since 2007 with a focus on community empowerment, customer service and regeneration.
Previously, she was director of housing and community investment at Abri, and has held director roles at Battersea Academy of Skills Excellence.
Dawson said: “I had such a warm welcome from the moment I arrived at PCH, and the months have flown by as I’ve worked on taking forward the delivery of our core objectives for the directorate.
“We’re now focusing on the priorities as we shape a new business plan for the next five years.
“In the Operate directorate I lead, we are committed to ensuring PCH is meeting the Regulator of Social Housing’s Consumer Standards and providing safe, warm, well-maintained homes for our residents, as well as delivering really outstanding services.”
Dawson added: “We’re also on a journey to better understand our residents so we can tailor services to meet individual needs.”
Cowie said: “It’s a really exciting time for the organisation as we look to refresh our strategic business plan and develop ambitious new objectives to improve the services we offer and expand on the number of new affordable homes we can deliver across the South West to help meet social housing need and support the vision for Plymouth being championed by Plymouth City Council.
“I’m absolutely delighted we have appointed Chris to join us as our new Executive Director of Place, bringing with him a wealth of experience, knowledge and strong stakeholder relationships to help us drive forward our Growth Strategy and regeneration work, alongside increasing major investment in our existing homes.
“Michelle Dawson has had a huge impact at PCH since she joined the organisation, bringing together all of our operating teams in the Homes and Communities directorate, and Michelle is doing an incredible job of helping us to make major improvements and positive changes to the services we provide to our residents, from their first point of contact through to the housing management, repairs and community support they may need during their tenancy.”
Cowie added: “We’re now looking for a Chief People Officer to support PCH on our journey to expand and improve our staff engagement and increase our focus on people and culture.”
