New chief financial officer appointed and series of senior promotions

29 May 2020

Larkfleet Group, has appointed Alastair Gordon-Stewart to the position of chief financial officer (CFO) in a move to prepare the Lincolnshire based business for growth.

Mr Gordon-Stewart qualified as a chartered accountant at KPMG London, before moving to FTSE 250 contractor Kier Group where he held a number of senior finance roles including finance director at both Kier Property and Kier Living.

During his time at Kier Group he managed a housing and property development investment portfolio of £1 billion and helped raise £0.5 billion of development finance on this portfolio.

Alastair said: “I’m absolutely delighted to join Larkfleet Group. It is a company that I believe has huge potential for medium and long term growth. 

“It is a pleasure to join the group’s talented team and to help steer the company through its next phase of expansion.”

Karl Hick, the chief executive officer of Larkfleet Group, said: “I am delighted to welcome Alastair to the position of CFO. He brings a wealth of property and finance experience, which will prove invaluable as we prepare to fully reopen our business and proceed with our many planned housing developments once lockdown has been lifted.” 

In addition to the appointment of a new group-level CFO, Larkfleet Homes has made a number of senior level promotions.

Leigh Wagg has been promoted to construction director, Larkfleet Homes Norfolk & Suffolk; Lee Pittam becomes director of technical, Larkfleet Homes; and Paul Pearson has been promoted to director of commercial, Larkfleet Homes.

Mr Wagg is also supporting Larkfleet Homes as acting construction director prior to the launch of the first site in the Norfolk & Suffolk division.

Mr Wagg said: “I’m very excited about my new role. I worked my way up from labourer to construction manager during my time at Persimmon Homes, grew my health and safety and site planning knowledge at Avant Homes and since joining Larkfleet Homes my responsibilities have grown to include setting targets, objectives and responsibilities for all the staff in my team.

“My new role also means that I am now responsible for recommending policy and procedure improvements and reporting to clients and board members on project progress. It’s a great step forward for my career at Larkfleet Homes and I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity.”

Mr Pittam said: “I joined Larkfleet in 2016 to further my career in the housebuilding industry and into management. The prospect of joining a firm where my 20 years’ experience and expertise in the construction industry could be passed on to others, and where I could grow my management skills, were key factors in my decision to join Larkfleet.

“My previous experience in civil and structural engineering in residential, commercial and industrial sectors has allowed me to gain the necessary experience to problem solve and value engineer our developments to provide cost effective designs and innovations.

“In my new role I will be responsible for the management of the technical department. The challenge of educating and training the next generation of technical staff is a key element of the job role that appeals to me.”

Mr Pearson said: “I will now be overseeing the commercial activities of the Larkfleet Homes & Allison Homes developments from the Bourne head office. This will involve everything from land appraisals through to the awarding of new development orders, the building of effective relationships with the suppliers and subcontractors to understand their perspectives and to use the knowledge and relationships to strengthen our commercial position.”

Mr Hick added: “The appointment of a new CFO as well as several senior level promotions consolidates our already strong team and puts us in a position of strength for when the housing market reopens.”