We take our weekly look at appointments and promotions across the housebuilding industry and its supply chain.
Kate Rust, Vistry
Vistry East Anglia has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Kate Rust as commercial director.
Rust brings significant experience in residential development and partnerships. She joined Vistry two years ago as a senior quantity surveyor, having previously held senior roles at Bowbridge Homes, Miller Homes and Morris Homes. She began her career at Westbury Homes as a trainee quantity surveyor and buyer.
She said: “I’m excited to be stepping into this role within the East Anglia team. Having worked in the region for the past two years, I’ve seen first-hand the strength of the team and the collaborative culture across the business. I’m looking forward to building on this and further strengthening our commercial approach as we continue to deliver sustainable and mixed tenure new communities to meet a range of local housing needs.”
Alex Stark, managing director at Vistry East Anglia, added: “Kate’s appointment as commercial director will bring significant value to the business.”
Four appointments, Story Homes
Story Homes has announced four senior promotions across its regional and group teams.
Graham Parker (picture top left) has been appointed technical director for Cumbria & Scotland. Parker joined the business in 2008 as technical manager, later becoming head of technical, bringing with him experience from previous roles with other housebuilders.
Martin Nugent (pictured top right) has been promoted to land and planning director for the North West. Nugent joined Story Homes in 2015 as a graduate planner and has since held a number of roles across the land and planning team, including development planner, land manager and head of land and planning.
Chloe Wordsworth (pictured bottom left) has been appointed finance director. She joined the company from KPMG in 2018 as group financial accountant and has since advanced through a series of senior finance positions, including group finance manager and group head of finance.
Phillip Powell (pictured bottom right) has been promoted to strategic land development director, having joined Story Homes in 2018 as senior engineer and progressed through roles including pre technical manager and head of technical.
Adrian Sims, Cala Homes
Cala has appointed Adrian Sims as managing director for its Thames regional business as it targets further growth in residential locations across Surrey, Berkshire and central Wiltshire, with the aim of delivering 600 homes across the region by 2028.
Sims brings a wealth of experience to the role having previously held leadership roles at Barratt Homes, Linden Homes and, most recently, Crest Nicholson, where he was managing director for its Southern and Chiltern regions.
Sims commented: “I’m delighted to be joining Cala Thames at such an exciting time. Over recent years, the business has delivered impressive growth through an enviable offering which combines quality homes and placemaking, all executed by a highly talented team.
Tom Nicholson, chief executive at Cala, said: “Adrian is an excellent appointment for the business, and I’m pleased to welcome him to Cala. His significant experience across the housebuilding sector, and within the local market, make him perfectly positioned to build on the excellent work of the team.”
Two appointments, igloo
igloo has appointed long-standing project director James Adams (pictured left) to the newly created position of head of construction.
Adams was appointed following a formal recruitment process, having spent the past eight years working alongside igloo’s executive chair Robert Knight (pictured right).
Knight, who has been with igloo for 20 years and previously led the company’s construction function, is transitioning into a consultancy role where he will continue to advise on key projects, support clients and mentor emerging talent across the business.
Adams said: “Having spent the past eight years working alongside Robert, I’ve learned a huge amount from his leadership, experience and approach. I’m looking forward to building on the strong foundations already in place as we continue into the next phase of growth.”
Knight commented: “I’m looking forward to continuing to support the team and our projects in a consultancy capacity, while seeing the next generation of leadership take the business forward.”
Joanne McNamara, British Land
British Land’s board has announced the appointment of Joanne McNamara as CEO.
McNamara is currently executive vice president, Europe at Oxford Properties is expected to join the business by the end of November at the latest. She has over 20 years’ experience in the real estate sector and joined Oxford in 2010. Over the past 16 years has overseen several of its most significant investment and development transactions, as well as helping build Oxford’s successful 70-plus European team. Prior to joining Oxford, McNamara worked at Hammerson and DTZ.
She said: “British Land is a business that I have always admired, with an impressive track record of delivering and managing best in class places across the UK and an expert team at its helm.
“I am very much looking forward to working with the board, executive committee and all of my new colleagues as we work together to build on what is already a fantastic platform for growth.”
Anna Spencer, Wain Estates
Strategic land company Wain Estates has appointed of Anna Spencer as land manager.
Spencer holds a MSc in Real Estate and joins the company from a national housebuilder where she spent four years, most recently as land manager. She became a chartered planning and development surveyor in April after successfully completing her Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). She also holds a BA in Business Studies and Politics.
Wain Estates’ land director, Ryan James, commented: “Anna brings excellent experience from the housebuilding sector and a valuable understanding of both land acquisition and delivery.”
Spencer said: “Stepping into the world of strategic land is a new chapter for me, and one I’m genuinely looking forward to. My background in housebuilding gives me a strong understanding of the delivery side particularly the cost considerations and viability pressures developers face in their appraisals, and I’m excited to bringing that experience into this role.
Laura Jenkinson, Bidwells
Bidwells has appointed Laura Jenkinson as head of London planning.
Jenkinson joins from Avison Young, where she spent more than 12 years and has been a member of the both the WPA and CPA Planning and Sustainability Committees, has contributed to the BCO Guide to Specification and has served as a panel member in the South East built environment design support team.
Her focus will be on major Zone 1 and 2 projects, working across the City of London, Westminster, Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Brent.
Jenkinson said: “The planning system is under more pressure than at almost any point in my career, with stretched local authorities, accelerating policy change, and a government that wants to see delivery at speed and scale. What Bidwells has assembled in London is a team with the breadth and experience to work across every part of the market. That is not common, and it’s why it’s such an exciting time to be leading the team.”
Bernt Ketterer, Duravit
Duravit is strengthening its executive leadership team by recruiting Dr Bernt Ketterer to the newly created role of senior vice president of strategy, innovation & product portfolio management, effective 1 June 2026.
Ketterer most recently served as head of corporate strategy at the KOSTAL Group, where he played a key role in driving the strategic transformation of the global technology group. In this role, he was responsible, among other things, for the further development of the corporate strategy and the expansion of the portfolio in future-oriented growth areas.
At Duravit, Bernt Ketterer will be responsible for group-wide strategy and transformation initiatives. These include cross-divisional and cross-regional programs aimed at further strengthening the Duravit Group’s growth, efficiency, and future viability, as well as the further development of strategy, organization, and key future topics such as digitalisation and AI.
Douglas Morrison, VASO Global
VASO Global, designer and manufacturer of structural composite panels, has strengthened its board with the arrival of Douglas Morrison, deputy CEO of Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST).
At BE-ST, Scotland’s national innovation centre for construction and the built environment hosted by Edinburgh Napier University, Douglas has led programmes supporting the United Nations and European Union sustainability and innovation agendas, alongside strategic initiatives for the Scottish and UK governments.
His work includes collaboration with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), sector wide industry leadership groups and national transformation programmes aimed at improving productivity, skills and innovation adoption.
Morrison said: “The company shares my vision to reduce carbon in the built environment, which is why I’m so pleased to advise this talented, innovative and passionate team.
“VASO Global has the potential to revolutionise the construction business not only across Scotland, but also across the UK and beyond, and I’m very excited to be able to play my part in that transformation.”
