HousingAI has appointed Ben Yexley as head of sales and Chris Galley as researcher, five months after the platform’s launch.
The AI-powered knowledge platform, built for the social housing sector in England, said the pair would support its growth plans.
Yexley brings 13 years’ experience in property technology, spanning businesses from pre-seed start-ups to scaling companies. He will lead HousingAI’s sales growth while supporting housing associations and local authorities in their use of AI.
He began his career at The Guild of Property Professionals, becoming regional manager for the East of England across The Guild and Fine & Country, before joining deposit-alternative provider Flatfair, where he became head of Build to Rent.
He was most recently head of business development at askporter, where he helped grow the commercial team and sharpen the firm’s focus on maintenance automation in social housing and facilities management.
Yexley said: “Having spent the past four years working in AI and automation, it became clear to me that context is crucial. HousingAI is building, updating and managing that context specifically for social housing, which is why I’m so excited to be joining the team. As a platform built by housing experts, for housing professionals, it’s a unique opportunity for me to help more HAs and LAs benefit from what AI can bring to their roles.”
Galley has more than 15 years’ compliance and research experience across social housing, residential property, higher education and professional membership organisations. He will monitor sector developments, assess AI-collected material, manage information sources and develop the review processes behind HousingAI’s evidence-based content.
His career has focused on statutory compliance, governance, data quality and knowledge management, working at Grainger plc, Inquilab Housing Association – now Karibu Community Homes – Durham University, the National Housing Federation, and The Law Society.
His work included the management of more than 1,500 Electrical Installation Condition Reports and coordinating compliance activity across more than 1,300 properties.
Galley said: “Now more than ever, housing professionals need quick access to information they can rely on. AI creates a huge opportunity to make complex knowledge more accessible, but in such a highly regulated sector, its answers are only as good as the sources, review processes and human oversight behind them. That’s what drew me to HousingAI and I’m looking forward to helping build a comprehensive and trusted knowledge base for the sector.”
Phil Shelton, chief executive of HousingAI, said: “Ben and Chris bring two very different but vitally important strengths to HousingAI. Ben understands how to help property and housing organisations adopt emerging technology in ways that solve real operational problems. While Chris brings the research discipline, compliance knowledge and attention to data quality that a trusted housing platform demands.
“Their appointments give us greater capacity both to grow the HousingAI community and to keep strengthening the knowledge it relies on, so I’m delighted to have them join us on this exciting journey.”
Main image: Ben Yexley, head of sales (left) and Chris Galley, researcher, HousingAI
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