By Peter Murray, Co-Founder of NLA and board member of BeFirst - Barking and Dagenham's regeneration delivery vehicle - of which Lord Kerslake was Chairman.

Bob was due to chair the monthly BeFirst Board meeting last week but died just two days before. He told us a few months ago of his cancer and board meetings were moved to Teams rather than in person. Each month he looked less and less well but continued to run the board as he had always done with deftness, politeness, and an extraordinary ability to handle fine detail and future strategy, even when he knew he wouldn't be around to see its implementation. Because the cancer had spread, he said, the chemo he was having only slowed down the cancer, not cure it.

The manner of Bob's passing reflected the man. He was open about his illness but did not seek sympathy. He was matter of fact and apologized for any inconvenience it may have caused others. And he carried on as much as he could with his tremendously busy schedule on boards, advisory panels, and in the media. I wondered if perhaps he was so busy helping others that maybe he didn't look after himself enough.

I felt privileged to have sat on the BeFirst board with Bob over the last six years. He was the best chair of any group I have been part of. Always fully briefed, with complete understanding of the facts. He would steer us to a decision with patience; everyone was able to have their say, yet he almost always managed to finish meetings on time. He enjoyed the trust of Darren Rodwell, Barking and Dagenham's leader, and inspired the company to deliver high-quality, well-designed, affordable housing as well as a dividend to the Council.

Bob's glittering career encompassed a peerage, a knighthood, Permanent Secretary at DCLG, Head of the Civil Service, Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency, of Sheffield City and Hounslow and Chair of Peabody.

His death is a great loss, not just to his family and those who knew him, but to the whole sector of housing and regeneration. I will remember him, as Pat Hayes, the first CEO of Be First, has said, as "a really decent bloke and a pleasure to work with."