Property firm appoints new chief operating officer

A property development company set up to develop the Ancoats and New Islington areas of Manchester has a new chief operating officer.

Manchester Life Development Company has appointed Jennifer Bendik as chief operating officer and she will assume overall operational responsibility for the company’s rental portfolio.

Jennifer joined Manchester Life in November 2016 as head of lettings, leading the launch and management of 659 rental homes across the first three developments in Ancoats and New Islington within the past 12 months.

Jennifer’s appointment comes as Manchester Life builds institutional capability as it readies for the completion of its next five sites by summer 2021, and continues to improve and enhance its rental offer.

Marty Edelman, executive chairman of Manchester Life, said: “Jennifer has already played a central role in delivering on our mission to redefine Manchester’s rental offer and help address accommodation shortages for the city’s professional population.

“Jennifer’s track record and commitment to excellence makes her exactly the right choice as we continue to grow and evolve.”

Jennifer Bendik said: “The past two years with Manchester Life have been an amazing challenge as we’ve delivered over 659 homes to market.

“Feedback from our residents is generally extremely positive, which is reflected in our exceptionally high renewal rates. However, we continue to learn and evolve, and our priority now is to refine and strengthen our operations so as we build an institution ready to scale.”

Manchester Life also welcomes Christina Hogea who joins as maintenance and compliance manager and Stephanie Hampson who joins as financial controller.

Manchester Life Development Company is owned by Manchester City Council and Abu Dhabi United Group.

The multi phased Manchester Life initiative combines public and private sector expertise to set a new benchmark for residential property development in Manchester by planning, financing, developing and managing a portfolio of high quality homes that will support the emergence of east Manchester.

Phase one and two of Manchester Life is delivering over 1,000 privately rented and 395 for sale homes, helping to fulfil the demand for high quality residential accommodation, in line with Manchester’s Residential Growth Strategy to provide tens of thousands of new homes by 2027.