The announcement last week that Amy Rees had been appointed as the new permanent chief executive of Homes England was greeted by the usual flurry of statements from the sector, warmly welcoming the quango boss and praising her track record of delivering transformation.

But, behind closed doors, one suspects that the first reaction of housebuilders, housing associations and others in the sector, was to ask: “Who is that?” Far from a familiar name in the industry, this is in fact Rees’ first role in housing. 

So who, indeed, is she? And what does the government’s decision to appoint a chief from outside the sector augur for the future of Homes England?