Vivian Chestnutt

Vice Chair

Vivian grew up in north Belfast and retains a deep understanding of the unique and complex nature of the issues and interactions which characterise the area. His housing experience and knowledge were honed while working in the Northern Ireland Housing Executive for 12 years at both operational and strategic levels, and, as Assistant Principal Officer, he was instrumental in formulating and implementing core policy initiatives in relation to tenant consultation and engagement, achieving Investors in People and “Charter Mark” accreditations.

After completing an MBA in policy analysis and becoming a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing, as well as national assessor for its professional qualification, Vivian took up the post of Residential Services Manager at Ulster University, and, during his subsequent 14 years there was responsible for the redevelopment of student villages at its Magee, Coleraine, and Jordanstown campuses, which levered in some £25m worth of private sector capital to construct 2,600 units of new ensuite student accommodation.

Vivian has a passion for making connections and joining up the dots within the wider housing environment, and has demonstrated this via part-time lecturing in housing courses at Belfast Metropolitan College, as a European Youth Build Team Leader for Habitat for Humanity, and board membership at Open Door HA, Cheshire Homes, and two facilities management companies. In addition, he regularly volunteers for Visit Belfast and the international Meetup organisation, meeting and greeting tourists, and organising networking events via social media.