Scott joins Ocasa Homes as CEO

Ian Scott has joined the Castleforge-owned asset management business with the aim of more than doubling the number of units in its portfolio over the next five years.

Scott was most recently managing director at Livingway. He left earlier this year after two years with the firm.

He has joined Ocasa, which manages 2,200 homes across the country, as chief executive, replacing Cassandra Tucker.

Based out of Linley House in Manchester, Ocasa owns 2,200 residential units and focuses on acquiring existing assets in locations that create “tangible regeneration and social impact”, the firm said.

The business manages mid-market resi assets in 20 UK towns and cities.

In the North West the Ocasa’s schemes include the Apple Building on Oldham Road, Manchester, and Dean House in Liverpool as well as assets in Preston and Wirral.

With a 53-strong property and asset management team under him, Scott’s ambition to is to grow the portfolio to 5,000 units over the next five years.

“This is a fantastic time to be joining Ocasa Homes, a company with a really strong track record in social impact investment,” Scott said.

“We have an incredible team of talented people who are committed to delivering real growth that will create long-term value for the communities we serve and our investors.”

Scott has 12 years’ senior experience in the rental sector, has handled more than £1.2bn of institutional residential transactions, many of them while as a director at Lambert Smith Hampton.

Notable transactions Scott has brokered include the forward funding of Anaconda Cut, a 44-storey scheme in Salford.

Michael Kovacs, founding partner of Castleforge, added: “Ocasa Homes has established a strong reputation in the UK rental market, demonstrated by a proven transactional track record that is underpinned by a commitment to delivering high-quality homes and focusing on ESG lead investment.

“Ian is a market leader in the Build-to-Rent space, with a strong reputation for both transactions and operations. We are looking forward to the next phase in Ocasa’s journey, and we are confident the business will continue to optimise and scale successfully.”

Ocasa Homes has also appointed Lorna Havercroft as chief financial officer.

She was previously CFO for Dandara and head of construction finance at Laing O’Rourke.