Abdul Hamied succeeds Shruti Bhargava, who is stepping down after nine years in the role at the Leeds-based housing association
Abdul Hamied will serve in the interim chair role for up to a year, before handing over to a new chair for a six-year term.
Established in 1987, Unity Home and Enterprise manages 1,386 properties for tenants from all communities and ethnic backgrounds in Leeds, Huddersfield and Cleckheaton.
The new interim chair has held a variety of NHS and housing roles
Mr Hamied, deputy director of NHS England’s Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme, has served on the Unity board since 2018.
He previously spent six years on the board of Manningham Housing Association in Bradford.
A university graduate, Mr Hamied has held a series of senior positions in the NHS and local government supporting, facilitating and stimulating transformational change and service improvement.
Cedric Boston, Unity Homes and Enterprise chief executive, said: “We are delighted to welcome Abdul as interim chair.
“He brings a wealth of experience and, having worked closely with him since I joined Unity almost three years ago, I am a huge admirer of his talents.
“Abdul’s familiarity with what we do is also incredibly helpful and will enable him to have a swift and positive impact on the many exciting ventures with which we are involved.”
Abdul Hamied said on his appointment:
“It is a great privilege to become interim chair of such a highly respected and valued organisation with its roots firmly in the local communities it serves.
“I recently attended an away day with Unity’s senior management and fellow board members. As one of the country’s leading BME housing associations, there was a real sense of shared purpose to continue being ambitious, resilient, adaptive and willing to embrace new initiatives whilst ensuring we remain in touch with our customers and committed to the tackling inequalities in housing. That is the mantra with which I will approach the year ahead.
“One of my priorities will be to help attract the best possible candidates to lead Unity through the following six years of our development. That process will begin shortly, and I encourage anyone who believes they have what it takes to succeed in the role to get in touch.”
