Kingswood appoints director

The regional housebuilder has recruited Adele Lewis-Ward as its new business development and funding director.

Lewis-Ward joins from Homes England, where she was head of development finance, for the North West and Midlands.

Kingswood, based on the outskirts of Preston, has hired Lewis-Ward to help its continual growth through diversification and securing additional funding.

Lewis-Ward said: “It was clear that Kingswood had all the tools and vision to grow. The main challenge relates to economic changes and their impact on the housing sector.”

She has experience in all professional categories of the private sector including valuations, portfolio management, investment, landlord and tenant and development.

During the pandemic, she led her team to successfully contract 52 loan transactions with SME housebuilders, committing £114m loan finance to facilitate the building of around 2,000 homes across the North West and Midlands.

Lewis-Ward will bring more than 30 years of experience as a chartered surveyor to the company, with previous roles at companies including DTZ, now Cushman and Wakefield.

Managing director Paul Jones said: “Adele is a perfect fit. Her previous roles and the strength of her experience will ensure that we can continue our efforts to grow.”

The appointment comes as Kingswood celebrates its tenth anniversary.