The recently retired chief executive of Yorkshire-based property developer Henry Boot Plc has joined the board of fast-growing family-owned firm Beal Homes.
John Sutcliffe will bring more than 30 years of corporate experience to the award-winning housebuilder in a non-executive director role.
He formally steps down from the helm of the £400 million turnover group in May, having developed an exceptional track record of performance improvement, building shareholder value over the past 13 years.
He joined as chief financial officer, before taking the top job in 2016.
Mr Sutcliffe said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to join the team at Beal Homes. It’s a very well established and successful business in an area of development that I understand, as Henry Boot also has a housebuilding company within its portfolio.
“I want to use my experience to help the team at Beal to become an even better business and continue to grow and develop.
“As a non-executive you want to be a challenging supporter of the leadership team, to help build upon what the business is already very good at.”
Mr Sutcliffe said he hoped his experience and skills would help chief executive Richard Beal and his senior team to achieve their ambitions for the East Yorkshire-based business.
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He added: “A crucially important factor for any housebuilder is land acquisition and with Henry Boot I have clearly had a lot of experience of that.
“Beal Homes has a very good land bank, but Richard is keen to develop its mix of development sites, including large, strategic sites, to support its aspirations to continue to grow.
“I also bring experience in planning, business management, housebuilding and strategic land development – all areas that feed into the Beal business.”
Prior to joining Henry Boot, Mr Sutcliffe was chief financial officer of two other FTSE-quoted businesses –Leeds-based real estate investment trust Town Centre Securities and jewellery manufacturer Abbeycrest.
He will remain a director of two joint venture Henry Boot subsidiaries and a trustee of the company’s pension scheme, as well as being treasurer of the University of Sheffield and chair of the university’s finance committee.
The high-profile appointment follows the busiest year in a history stretching more than 50 years. It saw a record 290 completions in 2019, across a series of prestigious developments in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, as well as an acclaimed city living scheme in Hull’s Fruit Market urban village, delivered with joint venture partner Wykeland Group.
Construction is also expected to begin early this year on the first phase of Beal’s largest-ever development – The Greenways in Goole – which will see 800 homes built over the next 15 years.
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Mr Beal said: “We’re delighted to welcome John to the Beal board and add his very considerable experience and high-level skills to our team.
“John brings to us decades of senior boardroom expertise and vast knowledge of the development scene, particularly in Yorkshire, all of which will be valuable in supporting our continuing growth and ambitions for the business.”
Mr Sutcliffe replaces Wayne Bowser, a former HSBC North of England regional director, who has retired.