Kingswood Homes appoints finance director

Little Hoole-based Kingswood Homes has appointed Sara Simpson as finance director.

After gaining a maths degree from Durham University Sara qualified as a chartered accountant and worked as an auditor for the Big Four accounting firms before moving to a major property developer in 2006, and social housing specialist MCI Developments in 2013.

It was while Sara was at MCI that the business underwent huge growth, going from an annual turnover of £7m to one of more than £56m.

At Kingswood, she will draw on this experience to provide forecasts and financial analysis to help deliver Kingswood’s continued expansion as well as fulfil its financial obligations to sub-contractors, suppliers, and employees.

Sara said: “I enjoy working in an OMB environment, and I want to use my experience to support a local independent housebuilder to develop and grow."

Kingswood delivered 36 homes in the year ended March 2020, increasing to 77 in 2021, to 100-plus in the year ended March 2022 and is targeting 250 homes a year by 2024-25.

The company is currently building and selling homes at Green Hills in Feniscowles, The Hawthorns in Elswick and The Market Quarter in Hatherleigh, Devon, with plans for a new site in the Lancashire village of Hoddlesden, and more in the pipeline.

Paul Jones, managing director, said: "Sara’s expertise and experience will be a valuable asset to Kingswood as we move forward and continue our aims to grow and become a major part of the housebuilding industry in the UK."