The Building Safety Regulator appointed Gill Kernick as Independent Chair of its statutory Residents' Panel, according to a press release published on 19 August 2026. The panel is a statutory committee established under the Building Safety Act 2022 and gives residents a formal route to share views and experiences that inform the regulator's work on higher-risk buildings.

The role is voluntary and Kernick serves in a personal capacity, leading the panel in providing independent advice and holding the regulator to account. The release says she has worked with organisations in high-hazard industries for several decades, focusing on organisational culture, systemic change and prevention of catastrophic events. She was a Grenfell Tower resident between 2011 and 2014 and wrote 'Catastrophe and Systemic Change: Learning from the Grenfell Tower Fire and Other Disasters'. She is currently Director of Strategy and Culture Realisation at Arup, where her work includes a global programme on safety culture.

Acting Chief Executive Officer Charlie Pugsley welcomed the appointment, saying residents' experiences are essential to an effective, proportionate regulatory system. Kernick said residents' lived experience, combined with technical expertise, can help create safer homes.