We take our weekly look at appointments and promotions across the housebuilding industry and its supply chain.
Two appointments, Muse
Muse continues to grow its Salford-based team in the North West with the appointment of two new senior hires.
Matt Whiteley (pictured left) has been appointed as senior development manager and joins from Harworth Group, where he delivered residential and commercial regeneration projects across the North West region. This includes Moss Nook, a 900-home community in St Helens, and a 132-home residential scheme in Bolton.
Also joining the team is Adam Bennett (pictured right) as senior new homes manager. He comes with over 20 years’ experience in customer relations and management roles at the likes of Nikal, Hillcrest Homes, Duchy Homes and most recently, Vistry.
Phil Marsden, managing director at Muse – North West, said: “Matt’s experience delivering transformative projects across the North West will be invaluable as we progress our regeneration plans in St Helens and across the region.
“Adam will then be crucial in helping us deliver on our end-to-end ambitions as a place maker.”
Tom Grundy, Anwyl Homes
In his second stint at the company, Tom Grundy has been appointed managing director for Anwyl Homes Cheshire and North Wales.
He was previously commercial director for Anwyl Lancashire before leaving for a short time as MD at Eurogold. He has worked in construction since joining Barratt Homes as a trainee quantity surveyor (QS) in 2008.
Grundy explained: “As part of the traineeship, I attended Bolton University one day a week to obtain a degree in quantity surveying. I then joined Redrow in 2013 as a senior quantity surveyor before being promoted to chief QS two years later.
“I joined Anwyl Homes in 2017 as a founding member of the Lancashire region. My role developed in line with the growth of the business and I was made group commercial director in 2021.”
“It’s a privilege to take on this role and lead such a great group of people.”
James Heuerman-Williamson, Sigma Homes
West Sussex-based housebuilder Sigma Homes has appointed James Heuerman-Williamson as its new finance director.
His 25+ years of experience in the housebuilding industry includes senior positions at David Wilson Homes, Barratt Homes, Crest Nicholson and Meyer Homes.
Following an initial career in the armed forces, Heuerman-Williamson qualified as a Chartered Accountant and worked on projects for Private Finance Initiative (PFI) schemes, including the delivery of government buildings, schools and hospitals. He then moved into the residential sector with five years at Berkeley Homes.
Of his new appointment, he said: “What drew me to Sigma Homes is not only the commitment to building high-quality homes but also the focus on creating vibrant, sustainable communities. This is something I feel strongly about and makes working in the housebuilding industry so fulfilling for me.”
Geoff Potton, group chief executive of Sigma Homes, said: “We’re thrilled to have James on board at this exciting time for Sigma Homes.”
Non Executive Board, Association for Rental Living
The Association for Rental Living (ARL) has announced the lineup of its new Non Executive Board. formally take over the governance, control and strategic direction of the ARL as of its Annual General Meeting in late November 2024.
The appointments are: Helen Kings (pictured centre), chartered director and founder of boutique consultancy and advisory firm Kings Residential, who will serve as chair; Harry Swales (top left), director and head of residential at Dorrington, who will be vice chair and treasurer; legal specialist Cyrille West, Eversheds Sutherland’s head of build to rent, London; Karen Cooksley (bottom left), a qualified solicitor and real estate sector specialist consultant, to lead the Board on governance; Martin Bellinger (top right), one of the founders of Essential Living and a founding director of Goodstone Living; and Stephanie Smith (bottom right), the head of living sector at Hubbl and chair of the ARL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Andrew Usher, Places for People
Places for People (PfP) has appointed Andrew Usher as its new group managing director for developments, a promotion from the role of group development director which he had held since joining from Countryside Partnership in May 2023.
He had spent over 18 years at Countryside, where he most recently served as managing director for their South London region.
Andrew Usher said: “It is a huge privilege to be appointed to this role and I’m looking forward to getting started. I joined PfP because I wanted to work for an organisation that had a clear purpose to do more for our society, and where I could use my experience make a real difference.”
Scott Black, PfP’s group COO, said of Usher: “He has made a significant contribution since joining us and now his expertise and commitment to excellence will continue to drive us forward to create more thriving communities.”
Four appointments, MEC Consulting Group
Technical consultancy MEC Consulting Group has strengthened its team with a series of promotions and new senior appointment.
In the firm’s Civils team, Danny Hinds (pictured far left) is promoted to senior civil engineer. Now almost 10 years with MEC, his career began on the firm’s apprenticeship scheme and has seen him qualify with a HND in Civil and Building Engineering and an NVQ in Construction Management
Nathan Broomfield (pictured centre-left) becomes a civil engineer. He joined the company as a CAD technician and achieved EngTech membership with the ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers) this year.
Newly promoted in the Flood Risk and Drainage team is Ryan Chafer (pictured centre-right), who becomes a senior flood risk engineer.
New to the business is group marketing & business development manager, Libby Willmott (pictured far right). A qualified CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) Member, she brings 12 years’ B2B and B2C experience from roles in healthcare, education, technology, and hospitality.
Tony Clark, Seddon Housing Partnerships
Seddon Housing Partnerships has named Tony Clark as its new regional director for the Midlands, based in the organisation’s Birmingham office.
He brings with him more than 40 years of experience to the role, most recently as the property operations director at Orbit Housing. Previous to that, he worked at a number of housing associations and local authorities. He has also held various voluntary positions, including roles with the National Housing Maintenance Forum and the National Housing Federation.
Tony Clark commented: “Investment in new and existing homes is desperately needed in the Midlands. I am looking forward to working with partners to understand their needs and to deliver for local communities across the region.”
Peter Jackson, managing director at Seddon Housing Partnerships, said: “Growth in the Midlands will be the focal point of Tony’s new role as we, at Seddon, are keen to expand in this important part of the country.”
Hugh Bushell, Allsop
Allsop has appointed Hugh Bushell as senior associate to its Residential Transactional and Living Markets (RTLM) team.
Formerly an associate director within Savills’ Development Land team, he will be reporting to Andrew Boyd, partner and head of the RTLM team.
He joined Savills’ graduate scheme in 2015 and qualified as a surveyor in 2017. The main responsibilities of his previous role included the disposal and acquisition of residential-led development sites across north and east London on behalf of private developers, institutional landowners, housebuilders, charities, and public sector bodies.
Hugh Bushell remarked: “I’m thrilled to be joining Allsop’s residential and living team and look forward to leveraging my experience to further enhance the firm’s position as a market-leading development and investment consultancy.”
Andrew Boyd said: “We are delighted to have secured someone of Hugh’s calibre to enable us to continue to provide best-in-class service to clients and further enhance our offering.”
