Sara Thomson appointed as chief risk officer at Anchor

Sara Thomson has been appointed chief risk officer at Anchor and will sit on its executive team.

Her role will include ensuring governance, regulatory, policy, and risk and assurance frameworks are compliant with regulation and operates orderly across the group.

The appointment follows the Regulator of Social Housing’s announcement earlier this year that it is investigating Anchor Hanover Group, following a self-referral, over whether it is meeting governance standards following safety failings identified at the provider’s homes.

Thomson, who started yesterday (12 May), is an experienced interim executive and consultant in the housing sector. She brings more than 25 years’ experience in senior and executive roles, covering transformation, risk and governance in social housing, banking, mutuals and consultancy.

A former executive director and chief risk officer at Bromford Housing Group, she is also non-executive director, vice chair and senior independent director at NewArch Homes.

‘Sara has an impressive track record, and we’re delighted to welcome her to Anchor. I look forward to her playing an important role in ensuring a culture of high performance and accountability around risk awareness, governance and compliance. A key focus will be ensuring we achieve high quality outcomes for residents and deliver our strategy,’ said Anchor chief executive officer Sarah Jones.

Thomson added: ‘I deeply appreciate the opportunity to join Anchor. I very much look forward to working alongside the board, executive team, colleagues and residents at this pivotal time for the sector.’