Succession planning for AHBs: the risk sits below the CEO

Key insights from our webinar with the Chartered Institute of Housing Ireland, 13 October 2026

– Shannon Barrett, Principal – Talent Services

For AHB’s the funding is there; increasingly, the constraint is people. Last week, Shannon Barrett (Principal – Talent) and Sheena Horgan (Principal – Advisory) joined CIH Ireland members to explore what that means for leadership continuity in approved housing bodies.

Succession sits where talent and governance meet, so we looked at it from two angles:

1. the risk that comes with increased growth, and
2. the opportunity to build new roles, career paths and the next generation of housing leaders.

We covered a lot, including the governance risks of key person dependency, the board’s role in owning and testing a succession plan, how departing leaders can step away well, and what today’s talent market means for AHBs.

The Friday afternoon test

It’s 4pm on a Friday. A key person tells you they have to stop work today. Who holds your live schemes, your compliance obligations and your local authority contacts on Monday?

The risks are familiar but often unmanaged:

• Key person dependency. Is it on your risk register? AHBRA, local authorities, the HFA and lenders all expect continuity and capability.
• Knowledge and relationship loss. In housing, so much knowledge lives in people’s heads: asset histories, development pipelines, tenancy relationships. These need to be recorded.
• Internal disruption. Who line-manages, who makes decisions, and what happens to morale and retention.
• Reputation. The confidence of partners, funders and tenants.

What the talent market is telling us

Any succession plan is only as realistic as the market it relies on. From our search work and where policy is heading, six skill areas are in highest demand across AHBs:

• Property development and construction, as direct build becomes a policy priority
• Development finance: CALF, CAS, HFA lending and cost rental models
• Asset management and retrofit for older stock and energy upgrades
• Regulation and governance: AHBRA standards, board effectiveness, risk and compliance
• Tenancy sustainment, including homelessness prevention and supported housing
• Partnership and data: Delivery Action Plans with local authorities, and digital systems

Ask yourself: which of these sits with one person in your organisation?

Five things to do before your next board meeting

1. Put succession on the board agenda, and keep it there. Review it at least annually.
2. Name your critical roles. Include the CEO, plus the roles your development pipeline and compliance depend on, and who could act up in each.
3. Draft or refresh an emergency succession plan. Set out first and second acting successors, limits of authority, any additional pay, and who controls internal and external communications.
4. Run a skills audit of the board and senior team, mapped against your growth strategy. Benchmark pay at the same time, before a vacancy forces you to.
5. Map who holds each key relationship: local authorities, funders, lenders, the regulator and partners.

Ultimately, if a key leader leaves mid-pipeline, schemes, funding applications and relationships are all exposed. Succession planning is about stability, sustainability and strategy and for AHBs, it facilitates continued service to tenants and communities.

Missed the webinar?

A recording can be shared on request. Email shannon.barrett@2into3.com to receive a copy.

Our thanks to CIH Ireland for the opportunity to speak to its membership, and to everyone who joined us. If you would like to talk through any of the above, our Talent and Advisory teams are happy to help: Shannon Barrett, Principal – Talent Services shannon.barrett@2into3.com / Sheena Horgan, Principal – Advisory Services sheena.horgan@2into3.com