People: Land promoter appoints regional director; and more

Birmingham-based land promoter Richborough Estates has hired Nick Jones to the senior role of Midlands regional director.

He joins from Ashfield Land, where he was director in the Birmingham office. He brings over 20 years’ experience of securing and delivering major, and often complex, residential, mixed use and commercial schemes.

In his new role, Jones oversees Richborough Estates’ Midlands portfolio of over 20 live sites which are set to generate thousands of new homes over the next five years. He will also drive business growth in the region by sourcing new land opportunities.

Paul Campbell, chief executive of Richborough Estates, said: “Stretching from Gloucestershire to Cheshire, the Midlands is our busiest and most successful region thanks to our ability to quickly bring the best sites to market to cater for demand.  Our expert team and in-house capabilities ensure that each site brings maximum return to all its stakeholders, including landowner, Local Authority, development partner, homebuyer and local community.

“We’re really pleased to have Nick on board to lead the Midlands and bring even further growth. We will also benefit from his vast experience in the commercial market as we work on an increasing number of mixed-use projects.”

Jones added: “Richborough Estates has an excellent reputation and track record and I’m delighted to join the team. They take real pride in the sites they promote by choosing sustainable locations, designing developments that enhance the existing community and overcoming technical constraints to ensure land is build-ready for development partners.

“Working alongside Midlands senior land and planning manager Joe Jones I’ll be identifying suitable sites, securing planning consent and bringing them to the open market to find the right development partner.  I’m looking forward to achieving great results and driving further growth for the region and I invite anyone with land opportunities in the Midlands to get in touch.”

:::

Al Rayan Bank has appointed Jerold Williamson as chief risk officer subject to regulatory approval.

Williamson joins Al Rayan Bank, the UK’s largest and longest-established Sharia compliant bank, with over two decades of experience in risk governance at international finance institutions.

He most recently held the position of chief risk officer at Union Bank in London and has previously worked as CRO at Permanent TSB Dublin and the Commercial Bank of Qatar. Prior to this, he spent 18 years within Lloyds Banking Group looking after teams in locations including London, Dubai, Europe and the Americas.

He said: “In my new role I’ll be working closely with my colleagues in the executive team and across all levels of the bank to continue to develop and adapt our risk policies in a market that is fast-paced and unpredictable. My experience has allowed me to work within multicultural institutions all over the world and I’m looking forward to developing my role as chief risk officer at the largest Islamic bank in the UK.”

Peter Horton, CEO at Al Rayan Bank said: “Jerold is a key addition to the team, and he will bring comprehensive expertise of working in large, complex organisations. With this appointment, Al Rayan Bank will have greater capacity to drive and enhance our strategies while ensuring the development of regulatory compliance and risk structures.”