We take our weekly look at appointments and promotions across the housebuilding industry and its supply chain.
Maria Sebastian, Taylor Wimpey
Maria Sebastian has joined Taylor Wimpey’s Group Management team as the company’s first group customer experience director, leading the sales, marketing and customer service functions.
Her vast experience in brand and customer strategy includes roles at Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, Starbucks and most recently, Greene King.
Sebastian said: “Customers are very much at the heart of Taylor Wimpey and I’m thrilled to have joined the company at an exciting time. With a dedicated and passionate team behind me, and strong foundations to build on, I look forward to working with colleagues across the business to further strengthen our customer experience and deepen the trust we build with them at every stage of their home buying journey.”
Jennie Daly CBE, chief executive at Taylor Wimpey, said: “We have made significant progress in strengthening our customer proposition over the last few years, and supported by Maria’s extensive experience, we will continue to drive positive change. I’m delighted to welcome Maria to the team.”
Multiple appointments, David Wilson Homes
David Wilson Homes NW has announced a number of new appointments.
Jennifer Burns (pictured) is the new sales director taking charge of developments across Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester. She arrives from another developer having previously spent.
Joe Kerwin, joining as site manager, carries 38 years of on-site experience having completed an NVQ Level 6 and CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS). He is responsible for the upcoming Queens Reach development in Daresbury.
Also a site manager, Jonathan Baldwin, has taken the helm at the Centurion Village development in Leyland. Originally from Burnley, he holds an NVQ Level 3 in Carpentry and Joinery and an NVQ Level 6 in Site Management.
Penny Wallis has joined as sales adviser, the latest step in a career that includes 25 years of cabin crew experiencebefore transferring to the housebuilding sector.
Mancunian Mustafe Hashi, has joined the company’s ASPIRE Graduate programme. He graduated from Salford University having studied Civil Engineering before working as a design engineer in temporary works for a company that specialises in ground shoring.
Multiple appointments, Bancon Group
Bancon Group has made a series of senior leadership appointments, led by Andrew Tweedie (pictured left), who has transitioned from his previous role as chief financial officer to that of chief executive officer.
Executive chair Bob McAlpine is to step back into a non-executive chair role, providing continued support to the leadership team and ensuring strong governance at board level.
Jamie Tosh (pictured second right) will continue as managing director of the private homes, land-led affordable and retrofit divisions, joining McAlpine, Tweedie and the group’s shareholders on the main board.
David Crawford will remain managing director of Deeside Timberframe, continuing to lead the growth and development of the timber frame business.
James Adamson (pictured right) has been promoted to group finance director and will join the operating board, while Kate Dick (pictured second left) has also been promoted to the position of finance director for homes and construction.
Tweedie said: “These appointments demonstrate Bancon Group’s commitment to developing internal talent while ensuring continuity, strong leadership and clear strategic focus.”
Two appointments, Muse
Muse has announced two senior appointments, with Stuart Rogers promoted to the newly created position of national operations director and Simon Dew brought in as managing director for Yorkshire and the North East,
Rogers (pictured left), who has nearly 20 years’ project management experience across the built environment sector, joined Muse’s North West team in April 2022. He has been part of the company’s nationwide ESG and sustainability team, and has driven its strategic approach with the Building Safety Regulator.
He said: “As our significant development pipeline continues to grow nationally, I am delighted to be promoted to the position of operations director.”
Dew (pictured right) has been with the business for more than 15 years, first joining as a development director before becoming director of development management. With 30 years’ experience in property acquisition and place‑making, he takes up the regional MD role with immediate effect.
He said: “I’m incredibly proud to lead such a dedicated and talented team.”
Two appointments, Spicerhaart
Spicerhaart Part Exchange & Group Clients has made two senior promotions as part of a new recruitment drive.
Lindsay Storey (pictured left) has been promoted to the new role of business development director. She has spent more than 20 years with Spicerhaart and has nearly three decades of industry experience, initially working for Haybrook (prior to Spicerhaart’s acquisition of the brand), where she rose through the ranks up to new homes sales co-ordinator and later divisional sales manager, before making the move to Part Exchange & Group Clients.
Lucy Jennings (pictured right) has been promoted to operations manager. This is her fourth promotion in just seven years at the firm, joining as a sales consultant before becoming senior sales consultant and later sales manager. She would then go on to become assistant operations manager before her latest promotion.
Neil Knight, divisional director of Spicerhaart Part Exchange & Group Clients, said of Storey and Jennings: “With their help and leadership, the business is growing from strength to strength.”
Two appointments, Building Safety Regulator
The Building Safety Regulator has announced the appointments of a new chair and deputy chair to the Building Advisory Committee (BAC).
Dr Barbara Lane (pictured left) joins the committee as the first independent chair. She is a Fellow of Arup and chartered senior engineering executive with 30 years’ experience operating across a wide variety of sectors within the build environment. She served as an expert witness for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 from 2017 to 2024.
Deputy chair Dr Hywel Davies OBE (pictured right) has served on the BAC since its inception and is currently head of technical insight at the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE). Additionally, he serves on several distinguished industry groups and chaired BAC’s predecessor body, the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, from 2020 to 2023.
Dr Lane said: “Taking on this independent role is part of my ongoing commitment to create a safe and equitable built environment, one that works for everyone. I believe that the committee can be a powerful force for good across the sector.”
