Not-for-profit sustainable housing developer Nightingale Housing has appointed Dan McKenna as its CEO, replacing Founder and Managing Director Jeremy McLeod.
The appointment of a CEO was flagged last year as part of a number of changes to the innovative housing model, including moving to a Not-for-Profit structure and bringing all projects in-house.
Nightingale Housing Chair Angela Perry said McKenna’s experience at Nightingale in various roles since it was founded, as well as his proven track record in developing a strong team culture, made him the perfect fit to take on the new role.
“Dan has been with Nightingale since its earliest days and has seen it grow from three people, to ten and now 24,” said Perry. “So he knows deeply what Nightingale is, who it’s here to serve, and where it’s going.”
Perry said Jeremy McLeod had been intending to step away from the leadership role at Nightingale for some time, but would remain involved in Nightingale as a Board Member.
“Jeremy’s role, along with his co-founder and partner Tamara Veltre, in establishing Nightingale as a real force in working to transform a broken housing market in Australia cannot be underestimated,” said Perry.
“His decision to move away from day-to-day Nightingale operations provides the opportunity for a generational leadership change, to build on the learnings of the past six years and consolidate the gains as the organisation plans a large slate of new developments across the country.”
In recent weeks, owners have begun taking occupancy of their apartments in the groundbreaking Nightingale Village development in Brunswick – Australia’s first medium-density carbon-neutral housing development. Nightingale has also broken ground on its first project in Sydney, a project near completion in Adelaide and has recently completed an apartment project in Ballarat with over 500 apartments in projects that have yet to be announced.
Dan McKenna said he was excited to take the reins as Nightingale accelerated its move beyond its home base of Brunswick and into new places in Australia.
“I see my role as an evolution, not a revolution,” he said. “My appointment is part of a broader set of changes that are all about sharpening Nightingale’s focus on the thing that matters: getting Australians access to housing and making sure those homes are environmentally sustainable, well-designed and great places to live.”
About us:
About Nightingale
Nightingale Housing is a not-for-profit organisation providing homes which are socially, financially and environmentally sustainable. Its aim is to reorient the housing market to focus on delivering quality housing for owner occupiers, rather than investors.
Nightingale homes are:
- Sold at cost
- 100% carbon neutral in operations
- Minimum 7.5 NatHERS rated
- Car free where practical
- Located close to public transport
- Designed to support community
- Only sold to owner-occupiers and community housing providers
- Designed to reduce operating costs
- Sold via a ballot
- Up to 20% of apartments per project allocated to community housing providers 20% priority ballot to key services workers, Indigenous Australians, people with a disability, carers, and single women over 55
