Director of IT and Data, Delta Housing
Delta Housing partnered with Neemar Search to appoint its first Director of IT and Data at a critical point in the formation of the new organisation. Created through the merger of CHP and Estuary in April 2026, Delta manages more than 17,000 homes across Essex and neighbouring counties, bringing together two established housing associations with different systems, processes and levels of digital maturity. The appointment carried responsibility well beyond the day-to-day management of IT.
The Challenge
Delta needed a senior leader who could establish a clear digital and technology strategy, oversee infrastructure and cybersecurity and begin bringing together two inherited IT estates whilst protecting service continuity for customers and colleagues. The organisation was operating with a mix of cloud-based and legacy on-premise systems, creating an immediate need for clear decisions around integration, rationalisation, investment and long-term architecture.
The successful candidate also needed to work closely with Delta's data and transformation teams, ensuring that technology decisions supported better information, more effective services and stronger organisational control. As a newly created leadership role within the People and Resources structure, the Director would need to build credibility quickly across the Executive Team and establish a clear roadmap for the first phase of post-merger integration.
This was a competitive market for leaders able to combine strategic technology thinking with practical knowledge of infrastructure, cyber, data and organisational change. For Delta, the risk of the wrong appointment was significant. Delayed decisions could prolong duplication between the two legacy organisations, increase technology risk and make it harder to create the consistent systems and working practices required for One Delta.
The Solution
Neemar Search focused the campaign on leaders who could operate across both the strategic and operational dimensions of the role. The brief required more than digital transformation experience. Candidates needed credible knowledge of technology operations, infrastructure, cybersecurity, systems integration and data, alongside the ability to advise senior leaders on investment, risk and organisational priorities.
In a competitive market, the search needed to identify individuals who understood that post-merger technology integration is not simply a systems exercise. It involves decisions about people, processes, suppliers, data ownership, service continuity and where investment will create the greatest organisational value.
The campaign therefore placed particular emphasis on candidates who could demonstrate experience of legacy system modernisation, enterprise-wide technology decision-making and working across organisational boundaries. Housing sector knowledge was also important, enabling the successful candidate to understand how technology choices affect repairs, customer services, asset management, regulatory assurance and day-to-day delivery.
Richard Hawkes emerged with an unusually relevant combination of experience. Having previously held a series of technology leadership roles at CHP, he understood one of Delta's predecessor organisations directly. His subsequent career at Platform Housing Group broadened that experience considerably, including enterprise architecture, service design, operating model work, data strategy and AI.
His experience also included establishing Platform's enterprise architecture function, developing application and data roadmaps, introducing a technical debt register and contributing to organisation-wide investment and transformation decisions. More recently, as Head of Data, Analytics and AI, he created the £4.6 million Together in Data programme and led a 12-person data, analytics and BI team.
Our Impact
Delta appointed Richard Hawkes as its first Director of IT and Data, securing a leader with more than 20 years' experience across housing technology, infrastructure, digital delivery, enterprise architecture, data and transformation.
His appointment gave Delta leadership capability directly aligned to the work required after merger. Richard brought detailed knowledge of CHP alongside experience gained in a larger housing group dealing with many of the issues that follow organisational consolidation, including duplicated capability, inconsistent processes, legacy applications, uneven data quality and the need to make technology decisions for the organisation as a whole rather than its historic parts.
That combination is particularly relevant to Delta's next phase. The role has responsibility for establishing a clear direction for digital and IT, progressing systems integration and rationalisation, strengthening cyber resilience and developing a longer-term roadmap for technology and data.
Richard's appointment gives Delta a single senior point of accountability for those decisions at a time when technology choices will influence the success of the wider merger. It also demonstrates Neemar Search's ability to secure specialist technology leadership in a competitive market, identifying a candidate who could combine deep housing knowledge with broader architecture, data and transformation experience at precisely the point Delta needed it.
Candidate Testimonial
“Eliot was a pleasure to work with throughout my recruitment process for the Director of Data and IT role. He provided valuable advice on positioning my experience and helped me put my best foot forward during the application process, making sure the right aspects of my background were highlighted. Communication was strong throughout—he kept me updated at every stage, was always available to answer questions, and provided practical, honest guidance. His support was key to helping me secure the role, and I'd happily recommend both Eliot and Neemar Search to others.”
Client Testimonial
“Neemar did a cracking job supporting Delta Housing with the recruitment of our new Director of Data and IT. From the outset, they took the time to understand our organisation, the role, and the calibre of candidate we were seeking. Their market insight, professionalism, and proactive approach resulted in a strong and diverse field of candidates, enabling us to appoint an outstanding leader. The whole process was smooth, well-managed, and delivered with excellent engagement throughout. I would have no hesitation in recommending Neemar to any organisation looking to recruit senior talent”
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