We take our weekly look at appointments and promotions across the housebuilding industry and its supply chain.
Mathew Drake, Newett Homes
Newett Homes has appointed Mathew Drake as its new head of land.
Drake joins the Yorkshire housebuilder with more than 20 years’ experience in land acquisition and residential development throughout the region. He has held senior land roles at Bellway Homes Yorkshire and spent more than 12 years with Barratt and David Wilson Homes Yorkshire West Division.
Commenting on his appointment, Drake said: “My focus will be on establishing a robust pipeline of land opportunities that supports the company’s long-term ambitions while helping maintain the high standards of quality and customer service that Newett Homes is known for. I want to build a strong and scalable land function, strengthen industry relationships and create lasting value that supports the sustainable growth of the business.”
Chief executive, Will Newett, said: “We are delighted to welcome Mathew to Newett Homes. His extensive experience, exceptional track record and deep understanding of the Yorkshire land market make him a valuable addition to our senior leadership team.”
Gary Whysall, Allison Homes
Allison Homes East Midlands has welcomed Gary Whysall as commercial director, to support the region’s growth plans and continue its expansion across Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
Whysall joins with decades of industry experience, having begun his career by studying Quantity Surveying at Nottingham Trent University. Post-graduation, he started on the commercial side, building schools, office blocks and pubs, before switching to housebuilding and spending time at both SME and PLCs. For 14 years, he worked for a national developer, moving up the ranks from quantity surveyor to commercial director.
Whysall said: “Allison Homes has a strong reputation for delivering high-quality homes and cultivating a supportive working environment. My goal… is to ensure we’re competitive on land bids, with sensible margins throughout development. I’ll also be working closely with my team to ensure we always achieve deadlines and maximise profitability, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we achieve together.”
Kirsty Spark, Stonewater
Stonewater has appointed Kirsty Spark to the role of chief financial officer (CFO), commencing 24 November 2026.
Spark currently serves as CFO at affordable housing provider Accent Group, which she joined in 2018 as financial controller. She is also a Board and Audit Committee member at Accent alongside being chair of the Governance and Remuneration Committee of Leeds Federated Housing Association.
Spark said: “I’m excited to be joining Stonewater at such an important point in its journey. My time at Accent has given me invaluable experience, opportunities to grow and the privilege of working alongside exceptional colleagues, for which I’ll always be grateful.”
Jonathan Layzell, chief executive at Stonewater, said of Spark: “I have no doubt that she’ll be a brilliant asset to our senior team, building on our financial strength to deliver our corporate plan and strategic objectives, ensuring we remain well placed to realise our ambitions and meet future challenges.”
David Churchill, Knight Frank
Knight Frank has strengthened its strategic land and development advisory services with the appointment of David Churchill as partner within its Planning team.
Churchill joins Knight Frank with more than 25 years of experience and an extensive track record in securing large-scale planning permissions, having advised many of the country’s leading housebuilders, land promoters, institutional investors and landowners.
He will be based at Knight Frank’s Baker Street headquarters and report to Chris Benham, head of Planning, London.
Benham said: “David’s market standing and track record of securing major planning consents will strengthen our ability to provide high-quality strategic land advice at a time of significant change across the sector.”
Charlie Hart, head of Development Land at Knight Frank, said: “We’re delighted to welcome David to Knight Frank. He’s highly regarded across the industry, and his planning expertise will be a tremendous asset to both our team and our clients.”
Chelsea McCafferty, Reginox UK
Reginox UK has promoted Chelsea McCafferty to area sales manager for the north – one of the business’ busiest territories.
McCafferty has been at the Cheshire-based firm for three years, beginning as a sales administrator, later moving to telesales.
Dave Mayer, the company’s commercial director, said: “It’s great to promote talent from within, and that’s exactly what we’ve been able to do with Chelsea. She’s a great talent with superb product, brand, company knowledge and that all-important ambitious mindset, I’m absolutely sure that Chelsea will quickly bring benefits to both our customers and the Reginox business.”
Mother-of-one and former amateur boxer McCafferty said of her appointment: “I always thought it would be administrative, but this is where it has led me and I absolutely love it!”
David Hedges, Wren Contracts
Wren Contracts has announced the appointment of David Hedges as national operations manager, Public Sector, a role that will see him oversee the delivery and performance of projects for housing associations, local authorities and public sector partners across the UK.
He arrives with more than 28 years of experience in the kitchen industry and an extensive background in operational management, customer service and project delivery. His career began as an apprentice with Paula Rosa Manhattan, and since then has built a reputation for delivering high-quality outcomes on large-scale residential and public sector projects.
Hedges commented: “What impressed me most when joining Wren Contracts was the ambition within the business. There is a genuine desire to challenge established ways of working, improve processes and raise industry standards. The organisation invests heavily in its people, products and infrastructure, but equally important is the willingness of the leadership team to listen, embrace feedback and support positive change.”
Ben James, Roca Group UK
Roca Group UK has welcomed Ben James as residential specification manager, to work with both regional developers and national housebuilders, and report into Liam Buxton, new build director.
He was previously an account manager at Hilti GB, working with businesses across the South East who specialise in steel fabrication and installation.
James commented: “The bathroom industry is a new to me, but relationship building is something that applies across all sectors and that’s what I’m most looking forward to at the Roca Group for both LAUFEN and Roca brands.”
Buxton said: “We’re in an incredibly competitive marketplace, but LAUFEN and Roca continue to perform well. We have strong relationships with the UK’s housebuilders and I have my fantastic team to thank for this so I’m delighted that Ben will now be one of them. There’s no room for complacency, though, and it’s great to see that Ben has already hit the ground running.”
Andrew Seldon, Ascend
Andrew Seldon has joined Ascend as operations director, bringing with him over 30 years’ leadership experience across the residential property sector.
Seldon has held senior in-house positions – including CEO and MD – for a broad range of businesses across the UK. With extensive experience across lettings, property management, business operations and transformation, he has worked across independent agencies, national organisations and his own consultancy.
Paul Stockwell, CEO of Ascend’s parent company Alvesta Living Group, said: Ascend has long led the market in its operational excellence, and part of that success has been underpinned by identifying and securing new talent to drive further improvements to our team. As we continue to see significant growth and attract new instructions, Andrew’s arrival represents a significant strengthening of our senior team, and his expertise and insight will be vital in driving our operational platform to ever greater heights.”
