• Swindon & Wiltshire Appointments
• Tuesday March 25 2025
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Housing association Aster appoints first ever chief of staff

Housing association Aster Group has appointed Dawn Fowler-Stevens to the newly developed role of chief of staff as it embarks on its largest-ever build programme – a £580 million investment to build 2,600 homes by March 2026.

Building on her current growth and assurance-focused role as chief strategy officer, Dawn will now directly support CEO Bjorn Howard to drive the efficiency and effectiveness of the group through its strategic priorities.

The new chief of staff role has been developed to work closely with the rest of the executive board, to drive continuous transformation and growth across the group.

“Dawn has demonstrated an invaluable ability to foster collaboration and drive integrity both within our organisation and with external partners,” said Bjorn.

“We’re an ambitious business which, like others in our sector, has grown in terms of complexity, so we remain on a journey of constant transformation.

“While we’ve never had a Chief of Staff before, it’s in our DNA to adapt and develop new roles when the moment is right.

“Introducing this new strategic position further strengthens our leadership credentials and overall effectiveness, so we can achieve our objectives and deliver lasting benefits to our customers and communities.”

Dawn said: “This evolution of my existing role on the Executive Board, will allow me to build upon the remit of connecting with the breadth of our people across our business. Critically, I’ll be making sure we continue to have a common golden thread that runs through everything we do.

“The development of the role reflects the great progress we’ve made as a business over the years. This is about us staying true to our core purpose of delivering social value and impact while preparing for the future.

“Ultimately, we need to be able to play our role in building as many new homes as possible to address this country’s enduring housing crisis as well as ensuring our existing homes and services are as sustainable as they can be.”