We take our weekly look at appointments and promotions across the housebuilding industry and its supply chain.
Two appointments, Allison Homes
Allison Homes South West has made two senior appointments to strengthen its land team with James Morgan joining as land & partnerships director and James Winfield promoted to land & partnerships manager.
With more than 15 years’ industry experience, Morgan (pictured right) brings with him a strong track record, having led land acquisition programmes that secured over £200m of development land in the South West. Over the course of his career, he has been responsible for transactions worth in excess of £1bn.
Winfield (pictured left) has been with Allison Homes since 2020. Having started as a graduate land buyer in Peterborough, he quickly progressed to land manager following a series of successful acquisition and partnership deals. One of his recent highlights includes the acquisition of land which achieved planning permission, land completion and start on site within just three days.
Glyn Mabey, managing director for Allison Homes South West, said: “Securing the right land opportunities is critical to our growth and these appointments will help us to deliver on that.”
Andrew Liddle, Persimmon Homes
Persimmon Homes has promoted Andrew Liddle to the position of regional commercial director, with responsibility for commercial operations across Scotland and North West England, overseeing five regional businesses (East Scotland, North Scotland, West Scotland, North West, and Lancashire) and reporting directly to regional chairman John Roocroft.
He brings to the role over 20 years of experience in the construction and housebuilding industry, having joined Persimmon Homes West Scotland in 2018, where he most recently served as chief surveyor.
Liddle said: “It’s a real privilege to take on this role and support five fantastic regional businesses. I’m proud to be part of a company delivering real value to communities, and I look forward to helping ensure we maintain strong commercial discipline while building great homes across Scotland and North West England.”
Roocroft said of Liddle: “His commercial insight and leadership will be vital as we continue to grow our presence and deliver for customers and communities across the region.”
Ros Day, The Perspective Group
The Perspective Group, a newly launched brand bringing together Mortgage Perspective, Property Perspective, New Homes Perspective, and Perspective Purchase, has announced the return of Ros Day as client relationship director.
She has previously worked for Property Perspective in a career spanning the property, proptech, and new homes sectors, building a proven track record in strategic account management, revenue growth, and client-focused solutions.
John Jarvis, founder and group managing director of The Perspective Group, commented: “Having Ros back on the team is fantastic news for us and for our clients. She’s respected across the industry for her professionalism, energy, and ability to deliver results, and she shares our vision of passion, trust, and ultimate service.
Day said: “The Perspective Group is built for housebuilders, by housebuilders. John and the team have created services that genuinely put customers first, and I’m proud to be part of such an exciting new chapter.”
Two appointments, United Trust Bank
United Trust Bank (UTB) has announced two new appointments to its growing Property
Keeley Hawkes (pictured left) has joined as manager supporting Daniel Carlisle, senior director – Property Development. She brings a wealth of experience in the real estate finance and construction sectors gained from roles with RBS, NatWest, mezzanine lender Assured Property Finance, and property developer Aitch Group.
Abigail Argue (pictured right) has also joined as manager, supporting Luke Benton-Drury, director – Property Development. She has accumulated more than 20 years of experience in real estate and structured finance, including 17 years with Close Brothers Property Finance, where she most recently served as senior portfolio manager.
Adam Bovingdon, head of property development at UTB, commented: “Keeley and Abigail joined the team at an exciting time for UTB as we continue to grow our development finance business and broaden the support we provide to SME housebuilders and developers. They each bring a wealth of experience and insight from across the property finance sector, and they’re already making a great contribution to the team.”
Adam Tutka, ActivumSG
Real estate investment manager ActivumSG has announced the hire of Adam Tutka as director within its Global Client Solutions and Capital Formation team.
Tutka brings over 14 years of real estate experience within the fund management and private equity space, during which time he helped amass and manage £5bn+ of AUM for a mix of global institutional investors. He was previously director of capital markets at Thriving Investments and prior to that, a senior director at Greystar.
Tutka commented: “ActivumSG’s entrepreneurial culture and nimble investment approach, with the ability to access opportunities across the capital stack and via direct asset, corporate and special situations investments, made this a highly appealing role.”
Saul Goldstein, founder and CEO, ActivumSG, said: “Adam’s arrival comes at an exciting time, as we look to build on our recent activity in the UK and European accommodation sectors to provide global investors with de-risked access to differentiated, scalable investment opportunities within living and hospitality real estate.”
Rocco Archidiacono, VervLife
VervLife has announced the appointment of Rocco Archidiacono to the new role of business development director.
He joins with over a decade of experience across Build to Rent, lettings, residential development and consultancy. Archidiacono started his career in London managing properties across Canary Wharf and Canning Town and worked in land acquisition and disposal, rental strategy and block management.
He has held several roles at Hamptons including lettings manager, head of business development and associate director.
Martin Corbett, co-CEO at VervLife, said: “In his new role, Rocco will lead VervLife’s business development strategy nationwide, supporting the company’s continued growth in the residential co-living, and Build to Rent sectors. His experience, combined with his exceptional network and proven ability to deliver growth makes him the ideal person to help drive our business development strategy nationwide.”
Archidiacono commented: “In this industry, honesty and relationships matter, and I’m eager to fly the VervLife flag across the UK.”
Two appointments, Lichfields
Planning and development consultancy Lichfields has welcomed two new planners, Mariam Ahmed and Willow Cockerill, to its Thames Valley office.
Ahmed (pictured centre) completed a BSc in Human Geography in 2023 and more recently completed her MSc in Spatial Planning and Development, both at the University of Reading. She also has practical experience as a GIS technician, where she applied spatial analysis to land management projects.
Cockerill (pictured right) joins following completion of her MPlan Urban Studies and Planning degree at the University of Sheffield, accredited by the RTPI and RICS. She has also undertaken work placements at Hart District Council and Dorset Council, gaining hands-on experience of development management, policy work and renewable energy planning.
Daniel Lampard (pictured left), head of Lichfields’ Thames Valley office, said: “We’re pleased to welcome Mariam and Willow to the team. Their enthusiasm and academic grounding will add real strength to the office as we continue to grow.”
Steve Emsley, Puma Property Finance
Puma Property Finance has appointed Steve Emsley as finance director.
He joins from Mitheridge Capital Management, where he was partner and chief financial officer (CFO). Prior to that he spent nearly eight years as CFO at DRC Savills Investment Management (formerly DRC Capital). He is a chartered accountant who trained at BDO before moving to Federated Hermes Real Estate.
Emsley brings over 18 years of experience in real estate and fund management including corporate finance, portfolio management, tax structuring, investor relations & reporting, and treasury, and will be reporting into Puma’s MD, Paul Frost.
He said: “With its strong proven track record, Puma is perfectly positioned to attract further institutional investors and continue to scale its position in the market.”
Frost added: “We’re delighted to welcome Steve to the team. His proven expertise in supporting the growth of highly successful real estate credit fund businesses will be enormously valuable as we venture into this exciting next stage for Puma.”
Multiple appointments, Newsteer
Specialist real estate advisory firm Newsteer, has announced a string of recent appointments.
Jamie Alba-Duignan (pictured top left), a Chartered Town Planner with a strong track record in delivering planning applications and site promotions across the commercial, retail, light industrial and mixed-use sectors is the most recent new starter to the Planning team.
Harry Capstick (pictured top right) has also been appointed to the Planning team. He is a Chartered RTPI Planner with experience of guiding projects from inception through to delivery across various sectors including, logistics, commercial, roadside, residential, mixed-use, and retail.
Mark Battersby (pictured bottom left) has joined the Planning team, preparing and submitting planning applications, including Section 73 applications, Listed Building Consents and planning appeals. He also advises clients on planning strategy embedded in detailed knowledge of green belt and grey belt sites.
Oyebola (Bola) Ogundipe (pictured bottom right) has taken the role of assistant planner, bringing experience in planning appraisals, applications, and appeals across residential and commercial schemes, including in policy-sensitive areas such as the green belt and Conservation Areas.
Two appointments, Block Real Estate
As it re-launches and expands into the Build to Rent, co-living, PBSA, later living and hospitality sectors, Block Real Estate has announced two new directorial appointments, joining Ashley Layton.
Between them, George Adams (pictured centre) and Lee Layton (pictured left) bring to the business a blend of capital market and data-led research experience from the wider living sectors.
Adams will focus on transactional and advisory work in the Build to Rent, co-living and PBSA sectors specifically. He brings with him more than ten years’ experience in the living sectors, having recently headed the Colliers Living team, and brings with him a range of clients from private equity, specialist investors and developers.
Lee Layton joins with a focus on the firm’s research and data capability. He has over 20 years of experience in operational real estate research and market intelligence.
Ashley Layton (pictured right) commented: “The opportunity to grow a business and create a unique research and data focussed advisory offer is very exciting, particularly with people of George and Lee’s calibre.”
