'Ujima is in the hearts and minds of everyone of colour'

This is just as well, because he has a tough task ahead of him at the Wembley-based housing association.Last month a Housing Corporation inspection report found low tenant satisfaction at Ujima and problems with its repairs system (see linked story, below). The organisation was aware of the failings and was already working on improvements, but this did not make the report any less damaging.

Auguste, whose cunning plans at Redbridge included reducing re-let time from 59 to 39 weeks and paying impromptu visits to housing estates to appease disgruntled tenants, takes over from Aman Dalvi, who is now chief executive of regeneration agency Invest Thames Gateway – one of the most important jobs in housing and the black and minority ethnic sector.

Ujima, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is one of the country's leading development associations. It is a crusading organisation formed for people in need "likely to be discriminated against on the basis of their race, culture, colour, religion or nationality" and runs 4000 homes. It suffered a major crisis 12 years ago when poor management led to rent arrears soaring and a two-year suspension in funding from the Housing Corporation. As chief executive, Dalvi got the organisation back on track.

When he meets Housing Today, just two weeks into his new job, Auguste is frank about the organisation's problems. "It is possible to do development and spectacular tenant management at the same time, but few people manage both exceptionally well. The facts of the matter are that we've been found wanting in tenant management. But the two things are not mutually exclusive – putting tenants at the centre of our business is something I can do and I believe in. My first priority is the tenants – I'm going to make them feel we're the landlord of first choice."

Former colleagues attest to Auguste's efforts on tenant relations. Maxine Bradley, head of corporation communications at Redbridge council, says: "Professionally, Hassett is very insightful. He has an ability to put himself in other people's shoes – whether that's his colleagues or tenants – and knows how to connect with people. He has a habit of maintaining direct contact at 'street level', so tenants never become anonymous clients."

Auguste says that getting Ujima's housing performance up to "a level equivalent to our performance in development" may mean changes to the way its departments work. "I want to ask 'why are we doing this?' and 'is there something that compels us to work in a particular way?' Often the answer to that question can be 'because we've always done it that way'. Of course, with questioning and change comes resistance. Justifying change will make me understand it better. Change for change's sake is wrong, so I'll always be asking myself 'am I making things better?'"

The Ujima boss' optimism and commercial, customer-relations acumen is obvious. He is prone to such corporate soundbites as "we mustn't be long on comment and short on action" and "if you believe in something, you must put your money where your mouth is" but delivers them with such an earnest tone and steady gaze that they have credence. He praises Tesco chief executive Terry Leahy, for what he sees as an exemplary response to customer demands: "Leahy got staff to understand what the customer wants."

Auguste is a raconteur, his conversation an anecdote-peppered tour de force. It can be hard work keeping up with his numerous trains of thought. To relax he plays blues on his tenor sax and "as an indulgence" collects unusual bottles of ink – he has at least 20 on display in his office.

Although supremely confident and proud of his achievements, Auguste seems genuinely in awe of Ujima: "I am clear in my mind that I am a servant and chief adviser of the organisation." He is also keen to acknowledge the role of his family in his success, and support from staff.

For a man who "slid into housing", Auguste has come a long way. After moving to the UK at the age of 17 from St Lucia, where he was born, with his parents – he keeps a miniature replica of a St Lucian cooking pot in his office to remind him of his roots – he began working on a project to provide nursery education for BME children in Lambeth. He was intent on studying law, but a colleague at Lambeth suggested he might be interested in town planning as a career. "I didn't know what town planners did, but I realised they play critical roles in the community, they decide where houses go. I thought 'I like the sound of that'. I learned that it was an important discipline, I thought I could make a contribution and that the profession didn't have many black people in it – and that meant I was interested."

Auguste's first job at Redbridge was "to bridge the gap between the planning and housing directorates" and this background means developers should expect him to fight hard for affordable housing. "The planning system says developers can't just do what they want to do. There are constraints on them. All we are doing is saying we are part of the safety net of provision, so it is reasonable and right that we benefit from that development."

As far as general housing issues go, it is more difficult to draw Auguste on specific details – such as the comprehensive spending review or Lord Rooker's £200m Challenge Fund. Of the latter, he will say only that "the opportunity to have additional resources is always welcome".

But he does have an opinion on the housing sector's rebranding exercise. It is one his new housing association peers would doubtless share: "The proof of the pudding is in the eating. A new image won't work if the community can't see the benefits."

So, what cunning plans is he hatching for the future of Ujima? Once the housing management issues are solved, he is quite taken with the prospect of Ujima expanding abroad: "Many elders go back to Africa or send money back there to build homes. Ujima is a brand, a trusted brand, and there is an argument about whether the board would countenance – without risking the asset base in this country – looking at provision there. It is a logical extension of our business."

Expansion abroad, says Auguste, would be possible because "Ujima is in the hearts and minds of everyone of colour". Returning to his reverence for the association, he adds: "This organisation has a soul, it came out of a struggle, a struggle of black people. This job is a chance to be part of that. I get a chance to listen, lead, direct and contribute.

"This is basically what I've always wanted to do," he says, "it's just that I never really knew it."