Former Grenfell Tower resident Gill Kernick has been appointed Independent Chair of the Building Safety Regulator’s statutory Residents’ Panel.
Kernick (main picture), who lived at Grenfell Tower between 2011 and 2014, will lead the panel in providing independent advice to the regulator and holding it to account.
The Residents’ Panel was established under the Building Safety Act 2022 to ensure the experiences and views of residents inform the regulation of higher-risk buildings.
It provides a formal mechanism through which residents can contribute to the BSR’s work and help shape how the regulator approaches building safety.
GRENFELL EXPERIENCE
Kernick has worked with organisations in high-hazard industries for several decades, with a focus on organisational culture, systemic change and the prevention of catastrophic events.
She is also the author of Catastrophe and Systemic Change: Learning from the Grenfell Tower Fire and Other Disasters.
Kernick currently works at Arup as Director of Strategy and Culture Realisation, where her role includes leading a global programme focused on safety culture.
The Independent Chair position is voluntary and Kernick will serve in a personal capacity.
‘RESIDENTS ARE CENTRAL’
Charlie Pugsley, Acting Chief Executive Officer at the Building Safety Regulator, says: “Residents are central to the building safety regime, and their experiences are essential to helping us build a regulatory system that is effective, proportionate and concentrates on the people it exists to protect.
“I am delighted to welcome Gill as Independent Chair of the Residents’ Panel and look forward to working with her and the panel as they help shape and improve our work.”
‘UNIQUE UNDERSTANDING’
Kernick adds: “Residents bring a unique understanding of building safety through their everyday lived experience. By bringing this knowledge and insight together with technical expertise, we can help create safer homes.
“The Residents’ Panel provides an important opportunity to ensure that residents’ voices and expertise can meaningfully inform, challenge and refine the building safety regime.”
