Gleeson recruits regional MD and commercial director

Joanne Morrison will lead the housebuilder’s North West division, including its planned expansion into Warrington. Meanwhile, Matthew Swallow has been appointed to champion the regional commercial team.

Morrison has joined Gleeson Homes from Vistry Group, where she was the regional managing director for the Merica region for more than a decade. During that time, she delivered more than 600 homes a year through Vistry’s Bovis Homes and Linden Homes brands.

As regional managing director of the North West, Morrison will be based out of the housebuilder’s Penrith office.

“Joanne has an exceptional track record within the sector and a deep understanding of the North West market,” said Gleeson divisional chair Scott Stothard.

“Her leadership and experience will be invaluable as we continue to grow our presence and deliver high-quality new homes across the region.”

For her part, Morrison teased big plans for the housebuilder.

“I am looking forward to growing the team into a successful, ambitious and hard-working team which delivers exceptional homes to our customers and stabilises the region for the future with a successful land bank coming through,” she said.

“We have exciting plans for the region that will enable continued growth, and there’s a real passion from within the team to deliver quality, sustainable homes, with our customers at the very heart of everything we do.”

As North West commercial director, Swallow’s task will be driving that growth by maximising value in the housebuilder’s commercial team, growing its relationships with subcontractors, and making the company more efficient. He comes to Gleeson from Story Homes, where he was also commercial director.

“I am delighted to join a major PLC housebuilder, where there’s a clear commitment to delivering high-quality homes for everyone,” Swallow said.

“With a strong team in place, I look forward to building on the existing business and relationships in Cumbria, whilst growing and establishing the Greater Manchester and Merseyside region.”

Aiding in actualising that goal will be the opening of a new office in Warrington in January for its 84 regional staff.

Remarking on the move, Morrison said: “This will provide us with an ideal platform to support our continued growth, enabling us to acquire sites across the Northern part of our region as well as further into Cheshire. The region has the capacity to deliver around 500 homes per year, underpinned by our commitment to building high-quality homes that remain accessible and affordable to a wide range of buyers.”

Gleeson is active on more than 10 sites in Cumbria and Lancashire, and has a steady pipeline of other schemes. Projects include 300 homes in Whitehaven, 108 in Preston, and 164 in Egremont.