Sovereign COO retires after 30 year career in housing

Sovereign Housing Association’s Chief Operating Officer Heather Bowman is to retire later this year after a career in housing spanning more than three decades.

Heather joined Sovereign as Head of Supported Housing in 2001 and became a member of the Executive Board in 2009, playing a key role in making Sovereign one of the leading housing associations in the country today.

She will leave Sovereign in September, but will continue to head up the organisation’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic until her retirement.

She said: “Throughout my career it’s been my fundamental belief that everyone has the right to their own home. As a good landlord, it’s our responsibility to make that home safe, secure and somewhere that people feel proud of. In short - a place where people love to live. 

“Working with residents to drive the co-creation of our successful Resident and Board Partnership to ensure that our residents are involved at a strategic level in everything we do has given me huge pride. I’ll be sad to go, but I am confident that I leave the organisation in great shape moving forward.”

Sovereign Chief Executive, Mark Washer, said: “Heather’s focus has always been to ensure that all of our customers are at the heart of what we do, and that important legacy will live on after she leaves us. 

“She has championed greater resident involvement and higher levels of customer service, as well as developing strategies to invest in the future of the communities in which we operate. 

He added: “I know that Heather will be hugely missed by everyone at Sovereign; personally, I will be incredibly sad to see her go. Her successor will inherit a team that is in fantastic shape, ready to play its role in delivering Sovereign’s exciting plans for the future.”