Gleeson appoints ex-Keepmoat boss as its new chief executive

Gleeson has appointed James Thomson as its new chief executive

Mr Thompson is currently the Sheffield-based firm’s interim chief executive and he has been appointed to the role on a permanent basis with immediate effect.

The group’s chairman Dermot Gleeson said: “The board is delighted to confirm James as CEO.

“During an extensive process, he stood out as the clear choice to lead the business. James has already made a significant impact at Gleeson and we look forward to further progress under his leadership.”

Mr Thomson added: “I am delighted to have been confirmed as CEO. I have long admired Gleeson and its focus on building much needed high-quality homes for first-time buyers on low incomes.

“My experience, since joining the business in June, has reaffirmed my belief that Gleeson has an exciting future ahead and I look forward to working with my very talented and dedicated colleagues to deliver it.”

Mr Thomson joined Gleeson in June as interim CEO. He was formerly at Keepmoat Homes, which he joined in 2012, latterly as chief executive until January 2019 and subsequently as a non-executive director.

During his time at Keepmoat, the business grew from 1,517 homes a year to over 4,000 homes a year today.

Mr Thomson has now resigned as a non-executive director of privately-owned Keystone Topco(the parent company of Keepmoat Homes), in which he holds a 3.7 per cent equity interest.

Gleeson said appropriate measures have been put in place to manage any conflicts, should they arise.

Previously Mr Thomson was at DTZ, the real estate firm which is now part of Cushman & Wakefield.

He trained as a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and spent 10 years in investment banking with HSBC and Deutsche Bank.

Gleeson is scheduled to issue its next trading update at its AGM on December 5 and to announce results for the interim period December 31 on February 13.

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