Neal Ackcral appointed Chief Operating Officer of the Hyde Group

Posted on 06 December 2022

Neal Ackcral has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of the Hyde Group, with a focus on delivering better services for customers.

Neal will oversee about 850 staff, who will take a more joined-up approach to solving customers’ issues, including repairing and maintaining homes, to major building safety works, dealing with anti-social behaviour in neighbourhoods, helping people find a new home and providing individual financial advice and support.

Neal, who has 35 years’ experience in housing and was previously Hyde’s Chief Property Officer, explained: “Over the past couple of years we’ve listened to our customers and worked with them to improve their services. This includes offering customers more ways to engage with us, so they can tell us how we’re doing, and new digital platforms so they can manage things like rent, service charges and repairs.

“However, the way we work currently means that, while we focus on solving the immediate problem, we sometimes miss other issues. Our aim is to ensure we’re offering the widest possible support to our customers, whether it be fixing something in their home, to providing financial help and advice through the cost-of-living crisis.”

Andy Hulme, Hyde Chief Executive Officer, said: “I’m delighted Neal has agreed to take on what will be a key role in us achieving our long-term ambitions to put customers at the heart of everything we do. And this is just the first step – over coming months and years, we’ll be putting more focus on addressing the issues in our neighbourhoods, so we can ensure we build and maintain safe, sustainable and high quality affordable homes in strong communities.”