New chair for West Country housing association
Housing association Aster Group has appointed Stephen Trusler as its new non-executive chair as current chair Mike Biles stands down at the end of his term.
Trusler brings with him over 40 years’ experience of working with a number of large organisations in the housing sector at an executive and non-executive level. As a long-standing ambassador for the housing sector, he has also been a participant in industry think tanks and appeared regularly at key conferences.
Joining him on the board is Mehul Desai, who joins as a non-executive director. Desai is currently chief of staff to HSBC’s UK COO.
Devizes-based Aster, led by group CEO Bjorn Howard, owns and manages more than 36,000 homes across the south of England and London, with a portfolio that includes social and affordable rent and shared ownership homes.
Trusler said: “Aster has continued to grow and navigate some hugely difficult headwinds, not least COVID-19. I look forward to building on Mike’s hard work and supporting Bjorn and the Executive Board to deliver Aster’s vision that everyone has a home.”
The new appointments come after a transformative year for the business. Aster recently reported record revenue turnover of £301m, up from £241m in 2022. 2022/23 also marked a record year for Aster delivering 1,312 properties – its highest annual total of homes to date.
