We take our weekly look at appointments and promotions across the housebuilding industry and its supply chain.
Robert Herd, Muir Homes
Muir Homes has appointed Robert Herd as its new managing director, the latest in a series of key promotions and new hires as the company pursues significant growth and investment.
Having originally joined Muir Homes as a site manager, Herd rose through the ranks to become construction manager before briefly stepping away.
Of rejoining the company, he said: “Having started my career with Muir Homes many years ago, I am incredibly proud to return as managing director. Muir is a shining example of a long-standing, successful family business, with John Muir still at the helm of the wider group. The company continues to deliver high-quality homes, support local jobs, and contribute to economic growth across Scotland.”
Martin Smith, chief executive of Muir Group, added: “Robert has an impressive track record in housebuilding, and we are delighted to welcome him back as managing director of Muir Homes. His leadership will be instrumental in driving the company forward during this exciting period of expansion.”
Two appointments, Keepmoat
Keepmoat South Midlands has appointed Ben Roberts as its new head of construction and Tonia Tyler as director of sales in a move to strengthen the regional office based in Northampton.
Roberts started out as a bricklaying apprentice and worked his way up the ranks after being exposed to the variety of roles available within the sector. He joins with more than 20 years of experience, having previously worked at Balfour Beatty and Kier Group.
Roberts commented: “After starting as a construction apprentice 21 years ago, I’ve never looked back. I was particularly drawn to Keepmoat’s people-centric culture and I’m keen to push the team forward to continue to deliver high-quality homes.”
Commenting on her appointment following 16 years at Redrow Homes, Tyler said: “I am pleased to be joining the team to manage the sales function to ensure targets are met, whilst staying efficient and attaining the highest levels of customer satisfaction.”
Lesley Roberts, Related Argent
Related Argent (RA) has announced the appointment of Lesley Roberts as Build-to-Rent (BTR) operations director.
She has over 20 years’ experience in the sector and joins from Godwin Developments where, as director of BTR, she played a pivotal role in the acquisition, development and delivery of Godwin’s Monogram Living £1billion national BTR portfolio. She was also chair of the Association for Rental Living for six years.
Roberts said: “Related Argent is at a springboard moment, having established Author as the leading BTR offer in London, and with the launch of its best-in-class residential offer this Spring at The Maple in Brent Cross Town. Related Argent has a deep understanding of how to create amazing places and BTR’s intrinsic role within that. I’m thrilled to be furthering the creation of exceptional communities.”
Chief executive director Tom Goodall commented: “Lesley’s appointment comes at a time of significant growth, as we look to enhance the Related Argent build-to-rent offer even further.”
Seb Spiller, Persimmon Homes
Persimmon Homes Wessex has appointed Seb Spiller as its new managing director, having served as deputy for the last year.
Spiller spent over 10 years at WYG (now Tetratech) as a civil engineer and joined Persimmon a decade ago, originally as an engineer. Since then, he has held the positions of engineering manager and head of technical before advancing to technical director.
Commenting on his appointment, Spiller said: “I am delighted to be taking on this role at such an exciting time for Persimmon Homes Wessex – we have exciting, major projects underway and I look forward to overseeing it all. We have a great team in Wessex and I look forward to continuing our good work in delivering much-needed new homes across the region.”
Persimmon Homes’ chair for the South West division, Julian Roper, added: “Seb’s journey from engineer to managing director at Persimmon Homes Wessex exemplifies his dedication, expertise, and the company’s commitment to investing in its people.”
Multiple appointments, Newett Homes
Yorkshire-based Newett Homes has strengthened its senior leadership team with three new appointments as the company targets building 500 new homes a year across the region.
Jennifer Tupman joins as chief financial officer from Taylor Wimpey, bringing 17 years of experience in finance and strategic planning. Kenny Mawson has been appointed technical director, following senior roles at Persimmon, Redrow and Strata. Tony Johnson, formerly with Gleeson and Avant, joins as commercial director with a focus on team development and process improvement.
Will Newett, chief executive of Newett Homes, said: “We are delighted to welcome Jennifer, Kenny and Tony to the team. This senior management refresh has been instrumental to our long-term strategy, bringing together 50+ years of collective experience in the housing industry.
“The creation of an experienced senior leadership team was imperative in order to achieve our ambitious growth targets, while ensuring we deliver on the exceptional quality and customer service that we are known for.”
Ian Barnett, Leaders Romans Group
Leaders Romans Group (LRG) has promoted Ian Barnett to group land and development director.
Previously in the role of national land director, his expanded new position will include greater liaison with other parts of LRG including LRG Corporate Sales and B2R Division, Boyer and LRG New Homes.
Barnett’s career in land agency and development consultancy spans the length and breadth of the country and his work with a wide variety of clients has been maintained for many years.
Commenting on the promotion, Peter Kavanagh, chairman of LRG, said: “Ian is a great ambassador for LRG and was responsible for restructuring our Land team to focus on larger strategic sites together with the geographic expansion of the team.
“The recent rebrand to LRG marks an important stage of the group’s growth – something that Ian has played an important role in achieving. And so I had no hesitation in recommending him for this new group-level role.”
Jon Milward, SNG
SNG (Sovereign Network Group) has appointed senior real estate strategy specialist Jon Milward to its board of directors and chair SNG’s Major Projects Committee.
Milward brings with him over 30 years’ experience of leading and advising on the development and implementation of complex real estate and regeneration projects both in the UK and beyond. He is currently MD at real estate advisor Milward Associates and was previously an equity partner at Deloitte and Drivers Jonas.
Milward is also a non-executive board director at Old Oak Common and Park Royal Development Corporation, is a business ambassador for the homelessness charity Centrepoint, and has previously held senior advisory positions with The Crown Estate and the Department for Business and Trade.
Jon Milward said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Board of SNG at such a pivotal time for the organisation. Its ambition is inspiring, and I’m looking forward to playing a part in delivering SNG’s strong vision for the future, and supporting our communities.”
Multiple appointments, Barratt and David Wilson
Barratt and David Wilson Homes North East has announced a series of new appointments across its Newcastle head office and regional sites.
Rebecca Forrest (pictured centre) and Hayley Neale (pictured right) join as sales managers, while Ross Laurie (pictured left) becomes commercial manager. Darren Cuming has also been promoted to construction manager, having progressed through the company’s graduate scheme.
Carl Sobolewski, managing director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes North East, said: “We’re so pleased to be celebrating new appointments within the division. I would like to extend a warm welcome to Rebecca, Hayley and Ross as they join the team, and congratulate Darren on his well-deserved promotion.
“Acquiring new talent and rewarding existing employees is a crucial part of our operations, and I look forward to working with them all closely as we continue to provide high-quality housing across the region, in line with the government’s wider UK targets.”
Alan Harris, Montagu Evans
Montagu Evans has named Alan Harris as managing partner, taking over from Rob Bower, who retired from the role and the partnership at the end of March following a decade in the role.
Only the tenth managing partner since the partnership’s founding in 1921, Harris is formerly head of its Advisory department. He has a background in development consultancy and has also led the partnership’s town centre and public sector groups since joining the firm in 2001. He has held a seat on Montagu Evans’ Executive Committee since 2014.
Longstanding clients of Montagu Evans include the Crown Estate, London Square, Regal London and Homes England. Amongst its current projects are Bow Goods Yard, Orchard Wharf and Royal Albert Dock (all in London), and the residential-led redevelopment of Festival Gardens in Liverpool.
Alan Harris said: “We’re continuing to invest in our outstanding people, welcoming new talent, promoting from within and expanding our expertise, while continuing to think and act long-term.”
Darren Dancey, Persimmon Homes
Persimmon Homes South West has named Darren Dancey as its newly appointed operations director.
He joins from Places for People, where he was South West managing director. He has vast experience in the industry including with Countryside Partnerships PLC, where he was South West managing director, and prior to that Crest Nicholson as South West & Midlands managing director.
Commenting on his new role, Dancey said: “I am delighted to have joined Persimmon in this new role and look forward to getting my teeth stuck into major projects from Cornwall to Oxfordshire.”
Julian Roper, chair of Persimmon in the South West, added: “Darren has a great amount of experience at a high level in the housebuilding industry and we’re delighted to have him on board. We have a number of exciting, strategic sites across the South West and I know Darren will bring a wealth of expertise to help Persimmon meets its goals of delivering much-needed new homes for local people.”
