Diana Kingdon

The south-east housing association quickly built up a reputation for its strong commitment to environmental sustainability.

Under Ms Kingdon’s leadership and with a small but talented team, Greenoak won the Housing Corporation’s Gold Award, becoming one of only three national winners. Greenoak was then awarded an Innovation and Good Practice Grant which enabled the staff team to share good practice and host workshops on energy efficient, high-quality homes to other housing associations and local authorities.

Ms Kingdon said she is proud of Greenoak’s achievements and is looking forward to the future. She said: “After much reflection I’ve concluded that it’s the right time for me to step down from my position at Greenoak. I’ve enjoyed a long and successful career in the sector and have led Greenoak for over two decades. The years have flown by, and I am immensely proud of what’s been achieved with a small team, in particular our record on environmental sustainability. I am excited for new experiences and fresh challenges.”

Earlier this year, Greenoak announced it was exploring a partnership with Stonewater Housing Association who it has worked closely with for over 10 years. Greenoak will officially become a subsidiary of Stonewater Group from January 2023.

Nicholas Harris, chief executive at Stonewater, congratulated Diana on her record at Greenoak. He added: “Diana has been integral to the success at Greenoak and I would like to congratulate her on a fantastic career. I’m very grateful to Diana for her professionalism and support in bringing the partnership to fruition. She is leaving a fantastic legacy which will allow Greenoak to continue to flourish, within the Stonewater Group.”

Marcus Canning, assistant director of customer experience at Stonewater, will lead Greenoak from 1st January 2023, as interim director of Greenoak.