We take our weekly look at appointments and promotions across the housebuilding industry and its supply chain.
Four appointments, Lovell
Lovell, has made four senior internal promotions as the business continues to expand across its regions.
Managing director South/divisional commercial manager David Gough (pictured) has been promoted to a newly created role of managing director of operations and commercial, continuing to sit on the Lovell board, and now acting as deputy to managing director Steve Coleby as appropriate. He has more than 30 years of experience in the residential sector, having joined Lovell in August 1999 as a quantity surveyor.
Part of Gough’s former role as managing director South will be taken up by James Duffett from the start of 2026. He joined Lovell in April 2019 as regional managing director South Wales and West. The role of regional managing director South Wales and West will be taken up by Anthony Vagges, who has also worked for Lovell for 28 years, joining in July 1997 as an assistant estimator.
Stuart Penn, who began as a management trainee at Lovell in 1997, will be the new managing director Central.
James Warner, Dandara
Dandara has appointed James Warner as technical director for its South East division.
Originally trained as an architect, he joined the business in September after nearly two decades working with major PLC developers including Countryside Partnerships, Inland Homes and Barratt London. His experience spans projects of all scales and tenures across the capital and wider South East, with a strong focus on early-stage technical strategy, placemaking and collaborative delivery.
David Garrett, managing director for Dandara South East, said: “James brings exactly the blend of leadership, technical rigour and team culture the region needs as it scales. He has fitted into the business incredibly quickly and it’s clear he has a natural instinct for how to get the best out of people. He sees the bigger picture, he listens and understands the importance of getting things right at the start so we can deliver smoothly on site. What I value most is his commitment to building a culture where the team feels supported and empowered.”
Jasmin Radford, Bellway
Jasmin Radford has joined Bellway North London as sales manager, based at the division’s headquarters in Ruislip, overseeing the sales operations at three new developments.
She will be in charge of sales teams at Bellway’s King George’s Vale development in Cuffley and Old Royal Chace in Enfield, as well as at Maltings Place at St James’ Park in Bishop Stortford, where Bellway is building new homes under its Ashberry Homes brand.
Prior to joining Bellway, she was sales manager for another housebuilder and roles in the construction industry for nine years. She worked in her first customer-facing role at her local leisure centre at the age of 16 and has also worked as cabin crew for TUI and as a holiday rep at a ski resort in Andorra.
Radford said: “I am very happy to have joined an excellent team here at Bellway North London, and although it is early days I am quickly finding my feet.”
Anthony Arnold, Denbury Homes
Anthony Arnold (pictured left) has been appointed head of design by Denbury Homes, having worked for former sister company Hopkins Homes for 20 years.
He joins head of land Sam Courtley – who joined the team a year ago – as the company targets growth while maintaining design-led ethos.
Arnold said: “Denbury Homes is growing and has some bold ambitions for the coming years but it remains a family-run business. That means that designing and building homes that make beautiful and lasting contributions to the towns and villages of the region remains our central principle. As a designer this commitment is so important to me.”
Lee Barnard, CEO of Denbury Homes said: “Anthony and Sam are very welcome additions to our team. Their leadership of the design and land departments is playing a key role in ensuring we can pursue our growth targets without sacrificing the quality and individuality of the homes and developments.”
Rory Penn, Knight Frank
Knight Frank has today announced that, following a formal election process, Rory Penn (pictured left) will succeed William Beardmore-Gray (pictured right) as the firm’s senior partner & group chair in April 2027.
Currently Knight Frank’s head of London residential sales, chair of its Global Private Office and a member of the UK Board, Penn will join the firm’s Group Executive Board in April 2026, beginning a year-long transition period ahead of taking up the role.
He joined Knight Frank in 2018, after Knight Frank acquired VanHan, the business he co-founded with Thomas van Straubenzee. He started his career at Grosvenor, with subsequent positions at private equity real estate firms Rowan and Palmer Capital, and has worked with a wide spectrum of private capital, private equity and institutional clients over his career.
Beardmore-Gray said: “Rory is an exceptional successor to lead the partnership from 2027, and I look forward to seeing the firm continue to thrive under his stewardship.”
Multiple appointments, Designer Contracts
Designer Contracts has announced the appointment of a new financial director (FD), along with six further promotions and new joins.
Mark Williams (pictured) joins the company as its new FD after working as the financial lead across a range of companies for the past 25 years. His varied career has seen him operating across multiple sectors, from food manufacturing to engineering, retail and agency labour provision.
Wiiliams commented: “I have joined DC at a fantastic time with excellent growth potential in the current market. I look forward to helping the team achieve this and hope to develop the finance function in supporting this growth.”
Vikki Aslett, who has been with the company for seven years as head of installations, is promoted to senior contracts manager for the Thames Medway region. Callum Lee becomes trainee sales consultant for Thames Medway, Paula Caine-Grierson is now finance manager and Robbie Budworth a trainee sales consultant for the South Midlands region. Fiona Mckeever joins Designer Contracts Scotland as sales manager.
Joe Sarling, Colliers
Colliers has appointed Joe Sarling as a director in its residential and living team.
Prior to joining Colliers, he held senior roles at Homes England, the National Housing Federation and Lichfields.
Sarling commented: “I’m really excited to be joining the residential and living team at Colliers at such an important moment for the housing sector. We’ve seen huge changes to housing and planning policy in recent years and markets across the country are presenting a varied range of opportunities for investment. I’m able to blend robust quantitative analysis with deep economic and market intelligence, with wider strategic trends to allow us to guide clients confidently through and support well-informed decisions.”
Jon Bull-Diamond, head of residential and living capital markets at Colliers, said: “Joe is a significant addition to our team. With Joe on board, I’m confident we will give our clients a deeper understanding of issues and solutions in order to support their investment decisions and maximise value.”
Nigel Abbott, Unique Window Systems
Unique Window Systems has appointed Nigel Abbott as its new build business development manager.
He will have a nationwide remit but in particular focus on the Midlands and North. He has worked within a consultative sales capacity in the new build sector for over 20 years. During his career to date, Abbott has worked for businesses involved in the supply of kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture, staircases, door sets, tiles, sanitaryware and many other building products to regional and national housebuilders and developers.
Abbott said: “I am looking forward to building relationships with both existing and new customers and to contributing to Unique’s already impressive success and growth.”
Dean Martin, head of sales at Unique, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Nigel onboard. His past experience, professionalism and in-depth understanding of the specific operational and commercial challenges faced by our housebuilder and developer clients will make him a real asset to both Unique and our customers alike.”
