TESTWAY Housing's managing director Steve Benson is the new president of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH).

He will spend a year heading the professional body, talking to and influencing government and other politicians, officially representing the CIH at conferences and meetings and working with other professional groups.

He follows in the footsteps of Richard Kitson, the chief executive of Aster Group, of which Testway is a member.

Mr Benson's personal vision is to create communities where people want to live and he will be promoting this during his year in office.

He said: "I believe that housing is about more than building decent homes - it should be about creating communities with good education and employment opportunities, as well as good services such as health care.

"In this way, everyone living in those communities can have opportunities to succeed in whatever they want to do in their life."

The theme for Mr Benson's presidential year is Hou-sing's Heroic People. He will be spotlighting people working in housing and doing extraordinary things to improve people's lives.

His chosen presidential charity is the Crisis Changing Lives Awards, which helps homeless people find jobs. He aims to raise £40,000 for the charity in his year in office.