We take our weekly look at appointments and promotions across the housebuilding industry and its supply chain.
James Hampson, Castle Green Homes
James Hampson was recently appointed senior land manager at Castle Green Homes as the company looks to expand the geographic spread of the sites it develops to include Greater Manchester, North Staffordshire and North Shropshire.
He started his career as a land buyer for Bowsall Developments, before moving on to Countryside Properties, initially as senior land buyer, then land manager. His most recent role before joining Castle Green was land manager at Miller Homes.
Hampson said: “I completed a placement with Bowsall during my time at university which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I was fortunate enough to be offered a position in their land team once I had finished my degree.
Land director Simon Finlay said: “James is a welcome addition to the team. He has experience of acquiring sites for affordable housing and private sale properties, which fits with our business model of delivering homes for housing associations under our Partnerships brand alongside open market homes.”
Amy Gormley, Allison Homes
Allison Homes East Midlands – the housebuilder’s newest region – has appointed Amy Gormley as its first head of sales.
She brings with her a wealth of experience, having worked in the housebuilding sector throughout her career, starting at a small, family-run developer in Derbyshire. This was followed by an array of sales-based roles at Redrow and Avant Homes, later moving on to the Shared Ownership department at Sage Homes, where she was responsible for over 30 developments across the UK.
Gormley said: “I was drawn to this unique opportunity to join the business at the point of conception of a new region. The growth that the business is set to go through is extremely exciting, and working together as a team to achieve success will provide unparalleled job satisfaction and personal growth.”
Karl Edwards, operations director for Allison Homes East Midlands, remarked of the appointment: “Her wealth of experience makes her an impressive addition to our team.”
Steve Brownlie, Elivia Homes
Elivia Homes Eastern has promoted Steve Brownlie to the role of land and development director.
His move follows a nine-year stint as land director for the housebuilder’s Central region. He brings with him over 20 years of experience in the industry, including senior land positions at Linden Homes, Barratt Homes and Shanly Homes.
Brownlie commented of his new position: “I am looking forward to developing my role at Elivia Homes in our Eastern region. The business has grown rapidly over the years, we continue to be acquisitive and add to the significant number of schemes already in the pipeline. I’m keen to see how the business grows even further through planning and land acquisitions as we move forward.”
Sean Ellis, Aitch Group and YourTRIBE
Aitch Group and YourTRIBE has announce the appointment of Sean Ellis as its new non-executive director.
With over 20 years of experience in managing large-scale, residentially led regeneration projects, Ellis brings a wealth of expertise and joins following a distinguished career at Berkeley Group, where he served as a director for more than 11 years. Among his achievements there were the founding of St William in partnership with National Grid and serving as chairman of St James Group.
He is also MD and shareholder of Fernham Homes, with plans to grow the business from 60 to 450 homes per annum within five years.
Ellis commented: “I am thrilled to join Aitch Group and YourTRIBE at such an exciting time in its growth journey. The company’s ambitious plans for over 1,000 new homes at New Belvedere represent a significant opportunity, and I look forward to applying my experience in large-scale regeneration projects to help drive the business to new heights.”
Two appointments, Gleeds
Gleeds has recruited two new directors to its London project management arm.
John Barnett (pictured right) and Ed Horne (pictured left) have both joined from Avison Young Project Management to help with the growth of its London projects division. The pair’s arrival follows the appointment of Craig Ward (pictured second left) and Andrew Todman (pictured second right), who also joined from Avison Young earlier this year.
Horne has more than 30 years’ experience in the construction industry and has worked on new build and refurbishment projects across the commercial and residential sectors for developer clients, pension funds and corporate clients, including 18-20 Hanover Square (the Bond Street East over station development) and Heron Tower.
Barnett began his career as a chartered architect before moving into project management, and now has 25 years’ experience in the discipline. He has headed up major projects for Battersea Power Station, One Nine Elms, Damac Tower, One Kensington, One Hyde Park and Fitzroy Place, among others.
Tom Paul, Southern Housing
Southern Housing has announced that Tom Paul, executive director strategy and change will succeed Sarah Smith as chief financial officer (CFO) in summer 2025.
He joined AmicusHorizon, one of Southern Housing’s predecessor organisations, as treasury director in 2012 and was promoted to Southern Housing’s Executive Team in December 2022 with responsibility for treasury, integration and technology.
Paul commented: “Southern Housing is a super organisation which does vital work to provide homes for people who need them. I’m honoured to be asked to take on this role and look forward to building on Sarah’s legacy of strong financial control and excellent stakeholder relations, and to delivering on our financial strategy.”
Sarah Smith added: “There’s no one I’d rather hand over to than Tom. We’ve worked closely together for more than a decade and I know Southern Housing will be in safe hands with Tom as CFO.”
James Dunne, Cushman & Wakefield
Cushman & Wakefield has appointed James Dunne as its head of UK Living. He will join the company in early 2025, bringing over 25 years of experience to the role which spans across all residential subsectors, including Build to Rent.
He is currently head of operational real estate for global investment manager abrdn, who has over €10bn of Living assets under management. Prior to that, he was its head of UK Transactions.
Dunne will report to head of UK Specialist Markets David Haynes and will work closely with senior figures within the consultancy’s Living teams, both in the UK and across Europe.
Haynes said of the appointment: “James is a key strategic hire for us as we continue our momentum in the Living sector. Our clients and colleagues will benefit significantly from his deep experience, unrivalled sector network and exceptional track record of delivery.
Daniel Donnelly, Downing
Downing has brought on board Daniel Donnelly as a new head of interior design, as part of its ambitious growth strategy across the UK.
Based at the developer’s recently expanded Liverpool headquarters, he will lead the delivery of quality interiors across Downing’s expanding £1.6billion development pipeline, which encompasses a comprehensive portfolio of landmark projects planned to start on site in 2025.
A member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Donnelly brings significant experience from previous roles within architectural firms such as Corstorphine & Wright, Veretec, and Marchese Partners International.
He commented: “Joining Downing is an incredible opportunity – the company’s ambition, combined with its significant growth opportunities, makes this a fantastic team to join at an incredibly exciting time.
“My role will be to act as a bridge between the construction and development teams to ensure all elements are aligned and that there is a strong sense of cohesion that will, ultimately, lead to the best possible results.”
