Offsite manufacturing firm, TopHat has appointed Carl Leaver as chairman and James Matthews and Kate Davies as non-executive directors
Carl Leaver has a strong track record of value creation as both CEO and chairman, gained across industry sectors ranging from leisure to telecommunications.
Most recently, Leaver was chairman of eir (formerly Eircom Ireland) and executive deputy chairman of Ladbrokes Coral Group plc. He is also chairman of Lebara.
Carl Leaver, chairman of TopHat, said: “I am very excited to have joined TopHat as chairman to help the business achieve its mission of transforming housebuilding in the UK through the application of technology and leading-edge production capability.
“TopHat’s platform underpins the quality of its product while at the same time reducing production costs to among the lowest in the industry.”
James Matthews has been at the heart of the scaling of Ocado’s technology platform over the past fifteen years.
As CEO of Ocado Technology he leads a team of 2,000 technologists across four countries, building Ocado Smart Platform for international clients and providing technology services to the rest of Ocado Group.
Kate Davies has been the chief executive of housing association, Notting Hill Genesis since 2004, growing it from a 16,000 unit organisation to one with over 64,000 homes in London and the southeast.
She has also worked in the private sector, local government and the NHS.
‘Accelerate medium-term goals’
Jordan Rosenhaus, CEO of TopHat, said: “We are thrilled that Carl, James and Kate have joined TopHat.
“Their experience and expertise will strengthen us as a business and enable TopHat to accelerate the delivery of its medium-term goals.”
James Matthews, non-executive director of TopHat, commented: “In TopHat I see a great opportunity to drive the adoption of technology and automated manufacturing in an industry that has historically lagged others in this regard.”
Kate Davies, non-executive director of TopHat, added: “Modular housebuilding will be central to addressing the UK’s housing crisis by providing modern, desirable and connected housing far more quickly than traditional methods. TopHat is in a strong position to lead the sector.
“Not only does its technology and manufacturing platform enable TopHat to produce homes of outstanding quality at low cost, but also its approach to design reshapes perceptions of what modular homes look like and feel like to live in.”
