We take our weekly look at appointments and promotions across the housebuilding industry and its supply chain.
Julian Hodder, Barratt Redrow
Barratt Redrow has announced the appointment of Julian Hodder as regional managing director for its Southern region, overseeing the operations and performance of the company’s Kent, North Thames, Southern, Southern Counties and Redrow South East divisions.
He has worked for Barratt Developments for over 13 years, starting at Barratt Homes as regional finance director to his most recent position as managing director for Barratt Redrow Southern Counties
Hodder commented: “After more than 13 years with Barratt, I’ve seen how vital local insight and long-term partnerships are to delivering the right homes in the right places – especially in a market where affordability pressures, planning complexity and supply-chain constraints continue to shape delivery.
“My focus will be on driving sustainable, well-planned growth across the South – maintaining the highest standards of build quality, customer service and placemaking – underpinned by a clear, long-term strategic vision for every development we bring forward.”
Two appointments, William Davis Homes
William Davis Homes has strengthened its team with two key new senior appointments.
Louise Ward (pictured left) has joined as head of planning, bringing nine years’ experience gained within the planning teams of national housebuilders, while Robert Brown (pictured right) joins as head of health and safety, following more than seven years in housebuilding and two decades in the armed forces.
Ward said: “This type of role doesn’t come along often and I thought it was a great opportunity to work within a company which is known for upholding high standards.
Brown is a qualified bricklayer and spent 26 years in the Royal Engineers in a construction setting, building infrastructure in Bosnia, Kosovo and central Africa. Since leaving the military, he has worked for several major housebuilders in health and safety roles.
Brown commented: “My favourite part of my role is the interaction with the tradespeople out on site, listening to their comments and making changes to help everyone in their work.”
Three appointments, Moveplus
Moveplus has announced the promotion of three team members, marking a significant milestone in the company’s continued expansion and long-term growth strategy.
Jessica James becomes training and development director from her previous role as sales progression director. She has accumulated extensive experience of property and sales progression and the customer journey, and will remain at the forefront of the senior leadership team.
Chelsea Gunn has been promoted to operations director. Since joining Moveplus, she has held the role of client relationship director.
Bradley Fisher has been named head of sales progression, having been senior sales progressor since joining Moveplus.
Managing directors Neil Tayler and Kelly Howe, commented: “Investing in our team and supporting career progression remains a core part of who we are. Our people remain at the heart of our success, and we are proud to recognise those who continue to drive the business forward every day.”
Laura Moreland, Kellen Homes
Kellen Homes has appointed Laura Moreland as its new head of partnerships.
She joins the growing team from her previous role as head of land and partnerships at consultancy CPC, and prior to that at registered provider Your Housing Group. Her new role will see her build on existing partnerships and create strong relationships with new organisations to help deliver Kellen’s ambitious plans for housing development across the North West.
Moreland said: “Kellen is an dynamic and progressive company with a strong drive and clear direction of travel. I am excited about the scale of the business and the agile and fresh approach to housebuilding that has seen Kellen grow to be a significant force in the industry in just five years since its inception.”
Kellen’s chief execuitve, Ian Kelley, added: “It’s great to welcome Laura to the team at Kellen where I believe she will bring her passion, expertise and considerable experience across different aspects of the industry.”
Jessica Hitch, Reginox UK
Kitchen sinks and taps specialist Reginox UK has announced Jessica Hitch as its new national sales manager. She will also serve as area sales manager for the South East and London
Hitch joins the business from luxury tile and home interiors brand Fired Earth, where she headed up specification sales for commercial and residential projects for 12 years. Prior to that, she worked in retail sales for a Chelsea-based interiors company and for range cooker specialist Aga.
Dave Mayer, Reginox UK commercial director, said: “Jessica’s experience in specification sales, and contract and project management will be invaluable as we continue to build on the excellent work we’ve done in this sector, particularly over the past 10 years.”
Hitch commented: “I did a lot of specification work in my previous role, so it’s really interesting to be able to use that side of my experience as well as growing a new sales area.”
Shon Pallickaleth, Close Brothers Property Finance
Close Brothers Property Finance has announced the appointment of Shon Pallickaleth as business development director for the Midlands, South West of England and Wales.
He joins from Lloyds Banking Group, where he spent 15 years, most recently serving as relationship director, leading the bank’s Real Estate business for the South West of England and South Wales. Pallickaleth has worked closely with private investors, family offices and property developers throughout the UK and his track record includes facilitating over £1bn of senior debt funding for acquisitions, refinances and development projects.
In his new role, Pallickaleth will be providing tailored financing solutions for privately owned developers and housebuilders across the region and supporting delivery of residential, Build to Rent, and Purpose Built Student Accommodation.
Pallickaleth commented: “I’m looking forward to working closely with developers to provide tailored funding solutions that support the delivery of new schemes across the region.”
Carl Bowcher, Pluto Finance
Pluto Finance has expanded its UK team with the appointment of Carl Bowcher as lending director.
He joins from Cynergy Bank, where he spent six years establishing and overseeing its development finance team, and brings with him over 30 years of experience in UK banking. Bowcher has previously managed teams across various real estate lending and investment sectors at Santander, Oblix Capital, NatWest Bank and HSBC.
Mario Ioannides, partner at Pluto Finance, said: “Carl brings with him a wealth of experience and we are looking forward to his contributions here. We are on a strong growth trajectory and welcome Carl to the team as our seventh lending director.”
Bowcher said: “Pluto Finance has built a strong reputation as one of the UK’s most responsive and relationshipfocused real estate lenders, supporting developers and investors across the residential, PBSA, and commercial sectors. It’s clear that the level of professionalism within the team is second to none and I’m delighted to be part of it.”
Matthew Smith, Moorfield Group
Moorfield Group has appointed Matthew Smith to become head of operational asset management later this year, when Heiko Figge steps away from the role.
Smith was at Allsop for seven years, initially joining as a director of asset management before being promoted to chief executive officer of Allsop Letting & Management (ALM) in a 2022.
The appointment comes as Moorfield looks to increase its investment activity within the UK living sectors, with a focus on multifamily Build to Rent, new-build single-family housing, co-living and purpose-built student accommodation.
Smith said: “Having worked closely with them for many years, it is a business I have grown to admire and I look forward to working with the senior leadership team in ensuring operational excellence for Moorfield’s investor base across growing Moorfield’s living sector presence.”
Charles Ferguson Davie, CEO and CIO at Moorfield Group, said: “Through the appointment of Matt we have made a senior hire with proven experience of managing scaled portfolios and with an intimate knowledge of our current and past residential-for-rent investments.”
Multiple appointments, Watkin Jones
Watkin Jones has strengthened its investment team with three senior appointments.
Will White (pictured left) joins as partnerships director, focusing on developing and managing strategic relationships with universities alongside other key stakeholders in relation to on-campus and wider development partnerships. He joins from Unite, where he was higher education engagement director.
Romain Palpacuer joins as investment director, where he will be responsible for driving investment strategy and originating new opportunities, drawing on significant experience across the UK real estate market, most recently at Avanton.
James Lambert (pictured right) joins from TPG Angelo Gordon as portfolio manager and will oversee the performance and optimisation of the wider Watkin Jones portfolio, alongside working on new asset management initiatives.
Commenting on the appointments, George Dyer, group investment director, said: “These appointments bring a strong blend of investment expertise, partnership experience and portfolio management capability, which will be vital as we continue to identify and deliver high quality opportunities aligned with our broader strategies.”
