Residential property manager Watkin Jones has announced the appointment of a new CFO.
Simon Jones has been appointed chief financial officer, succeeding Sarah Sergeant who will step down from the board in mid-June.
She has been CFO at Watkin Jones Group for about two-and-a-half-years.
Jones will be made an official member of the board on 21 May and thereafter work with Sergeant on a handover until her departure.
He is an experienced CFO with a strong track record within the property sector as well as commercial and operational expertise.
Most recently Jones was CFO at the US majority owned Mapeley Group, the property outsourcing specialist, where his focus was performance improvement and growth, and latterly its divestment.
Prior to that he held various senior finance roles within Bass PLC (now IHG Group PLC), and Hilton and Whitbread PLC.
Jones qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG.
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He said: “I am very much looking forward to working with Alex and the team at Watkin Jones. The business has a very clear strategy within one of the most attractive parts of the real estate and residential markets, and I look forward to helping deliver on the group’s forward growth plans.”
Alan Giddins, chairman of Watkin Jones, added: “I am delighted to welcome Simon to Watkin Jones. He is a very experienced CFO with significant property related experience, which is highly relevant as Watkin Jones continues its recovery and broadens its focus on opportunities within the residential for rent sector.
“I would also like to thank Sarah, on behalf of the board, for her contribution to Watkin Jones and, in particular, in supporting the business through the challenging market conditions that the group has experienced over the last 18 months.”
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