A HOUSING and public sector boss is set to lead as regional chairman for the Yorkshire and North East for the Institute of Directors.

Delroy is the first BAME chairman in the 117-year history of the business leaders’ organisation. He succeeds Jon Geldart, who was named IoD Director General last Autumn.

Educated at both Oxford and Cambridge, Delroy has more than 25 years of business and executive leadership experience spanning housing, business and government.

In 2014, he was appointed as chairman of the board at Bradford University School of Management. Prior to this, he served as deputy chairman of the Joseph Rowntree Trust Housing Board, part of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which researches issues surrounding social disadvantages and deprivation within society.

He was the first person from within social housing to win a prestigious IoD Director of the Year award, taking home the CSR / not-for-profit award in 2015. In 2018, he was named one of the most influential BAME leaders in the housing sector by Inside Housing. He is currently executive director at one of the country’s largest housing groups, Nottingham City Homes.

Delroy Beverley said: “I’ve learned that paying real attention matters most; knowing that change is often what’s happening at the margins, not around the boardroom table.

"In that regard, I will ensure that we listen to what our members and the business community are telling us, and make sure this is reflected in our messages at a national level and in how we support them, including new members.”