Firm aiming to build and sell more than 3,000 retirement properties each year

Brendon o'neill

McCarthy & Stone has widened the remit of two regional bosses as part of its new operational structure.

Brendan O’Neill (pictured), currently regional managing director for the south east, will be appointed as its south divisional boss covering the southern, south east and north London regions.

Current regional managing director for the north west Ian Watkins will become north divisional managing director, overseeing the north west, north east and Scottish regions. Both appointments will take effect from 1 January and will see them report to chief operating officer John Tonkiss.

O’Neill joined McCarthy & Stone in March from Bovis while Watkins has been at the firm since September 2015 following a stint at Stewart Milne Homes.

The firm said the appointments will support its growth strategy, which includes building and selling more than 3,000 retirement properties each year. In June, Darren Humphreys became central divisional managing director, covering the east Midlands, west Midlands and south west regions. 

McCarthy & Stone chief executive Clive Fenton said: “The move to a divisional structure reflects the investment we are putting in place to run an efficient business at scale and will allow us to capitalise on the substantial growth opportunities in retirement housing.”