Brendan Sarsfield to step down from Sustainability for Housing

Mr Sarsfield said: “I am extremely proud of what SfH has achieved over the last few years. Our mission was to create a uniform framework to help housing associations improve and communicate their ESG performance, in order to attract investment into the sector. We have achieved this despite the environment changing rapidly.

“It has been an honour to be involved with the SRS over the last three years and whoever comes next will no doubt relish this challenging yet rewarding role, supported by an excellent board. There is still plenty of progress to be made on ESG and I urge the sector to remain engaged with this work, which remains as important as ever.”

SfH will now begin its search for a successor who will help update and evolve the SRS to align with the global ESG agenda. 

Sarah Forster, chief executive of The Good Economy, which provides secretariat support for the SRS, thanked Mr Sarsfield for contribution as chair.

She said that under his direction, the SRS has grown to be a “vital tool for social housing providers and has enhanced the sector’s reputation amongst funders”.

“As we look to the future, we will be seeking a candidate who can build on his great work and continue to drive the SRS forward,” Ms Forster said.

David Cleary, managing director, housing at Lloyds Banking Group and a board member of SfH, said that under Mr Sarsfield’s leadership, the SRS had “gone from strength to strength in what has been a challenging socioeconomic environment”.

“Brendan’s knowledge, experience and connectivity have been invaluable to the board and we thank him for his dedication, time and commitment,” he said.

In October last year, SfH launched SRS version 2.0 of the standard, which places a greater focus on stock quality; net zero targets; and equality, diversity and inclusion.

The SfH said it further enhances a framework for housing associations to assess, monitor and report on ESG issues.

The organisation’s annual report last June found that more than two-thirds (63 per cent) of funders using the framework believed it has improved their relationship with housing association borrowers. A similar proportion said it enabled housing associations to achieve favourable financing terms. 

The survey also found that, for 57 per cent of respondents, the SRS had accelerated implementation of ESG actions.