Mawson has been with the business for six years. Credit: via Placefirst

Placefirst’s Mawson moves upstairs

28 January 2026 19:35 Dan Whelan Comments (0)

The build-to-rent developer and operator’s chief executive David Mawson will become its executive chair in February, sparking the hunt for a successor.

The move marks the first stage of Mawson’s planned retirement. He joined Placefirst as CEO from Kier in 2020 when founder David Smith-Milne departed.

Under Mawson’s leadership, Placefirst has grown its portfolio and is on target to amass a portfolio of 10,000 homes.

Among Placefirst’s schemes are Deansgate Gardens, a 167-home scheme in Bolton town centre that completed recently, and Welsh Streets in Liverpool.

“After nearly six years of continued growth, I am now stepping into a new role as executive chair,” Mawson said.

“Placefirst is in a strong position as one of the leading operators in the single-family BTR market, and I look forward to continuing to support the business as it progresses toward its target of 10,000 homes.

He added: “While I will be stepping back from day-to-day leadership, I will remain closely involved in guiding the company through its next phase. I would like to thank Matter Real Estate for the opportunity to continue contributing to Placefirst’s growth, and to express my appreciation to the talented team at Placefirst, which I have been extremely fortunate to work with, and their continued commitment to the business’s ongoing success.”

Matter Real Estate took a controlling stake in the business in 2015.

Mawson’s departure will see Placefirst’s chief investment officer Anna Hwang and chief financial officer Lukman Sabir take on day-to-day leadership for the time being.

“David has been instrumental in Placefirst’s strategic growth and success,” Hwang and Sabir said in a joint statement.

“We’re delighted he will continue to guide the business as executive chair and look forward to announcing his successor in due course. On behalf of everyone at Placefirst, we’d like to extend our sincere thanks to David for his strong leadership and invaluable contribution to the strategic growth of the company over the past six years.”