Connells Group announces Sarah Whitney as new non-executive chair

Connells Group has appointed Sarah Whitney as non-executive chair.

Subject to regulatory approval, Whitney will take over from current chair, Mark Lund, in September. With immediate effect she has joined the Connells Group Board and the Skipton Building Society Board.

Whitney has an extensive background in property and finance gained through a range of senior roles across a number of sectors. A former PwC partner, she also held senior leadership roles at DTZ and CBRE.

Whitney is an experienced non-executive director, and serves on the boards of BBGI Global Infrastructure SA, Bellway plc, Tritax EuroBox plc, and JP Morgan Global Growth & Income plc. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

In joining the Skipton Board, Whitney will have oversight of a collection of businesses, including Connells, employing around 18,000 people and spanning the housing, financial services and IT industries.

Whitney commented: “It [Connells Group] is a business that prides itself on its people and I look forward to supporting the continued success of the business.”

Connells Group CEO, David Livesey, added: “This is an important appointment which strengthens our Board. Sarah has great experience in driven, fast moving and innovative property businesses. She also brings strong social purpose and will help shape how we continue to deliver on our corporate responsibilities.”

Propertynest Expands into Guildford with new franchisee

Propertynest has expanded into Guildford with new franchisee Stephen Lowe.

Lowe will now manage a sales and letting agency servicing residents of Guildford and the surrounding villages in Surrey.

Originally from Australia, Lowe has lived and worked in the UK for more than 20 years. He is qualified in letting, property management, sales and residential property (Level 3).

“I am passionate about delivering quality customer service having worked in the hospitality industry for two decades,” he said. “I also manage several lettings properties in London and after the challenges of Covid, I decided to make the move to property full time.”

He added: “I didn’t even realise franchising was an option, so when I discovered Propertynest it was a no-brainer! The company provides an exclusive territory and all the systems and support necessary to help me set up my franchised agency full time.”

McCarthy Stone welcomes back two senior directors 

Brendon O’Neill has returned to McCarthy Stone as divisional managing director (DMD) for the firm’s Southern region, while Kim Caldwell will also return to the the company as its new group sales & marketing director.

O’Neil’s appointment comes as former DMD Shane Paull became the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) on 3 April.

O’Neil was previously DMD for McCarthy Stone’s South East division and is hugely experienced in the housebuilding sector, having held similar roles at Barratt, Bovis, and latterly at Persimmon.

McCarthy Stone’s Southern division is one of its four operating regions and covers the area from Hampshire across to Cornwall and South Wales. He will manage the division’s 14 open and selling sites and its 13 sites in development, along with buying 12 new sites a year. Brendon will report to CEO John Tonkiss and joined on 17 April.

Meanwhile, Caldwell, who worked at McCarthy Stone between 2002 and 2018 across several roles, including marketing director and resales director, will join on 12 June. For the past five years she has been sales director at Bellway Homes.

Caldwell will be responsible for McCarthy Stone’s Group-wide sales and marketing activity and will capitalise on its position to drive sales growth. This includes delivering the group’s brand strategy and progressing its move into rental and other tenures, which is providing customers with a wider range of choices to access its products and services.

John Tonkiss, McCarthy Stone’s CEO, said: “It is great to secure the return of Kim and Brendon. They have a deep understanding of our business and the retirement community sector, and were both strong performers when they were with us before. They bring huge experience of the housebuilding sector and will help deliver our plans to grow our business back to building and selling more than 2,000 new properties a year.”