House by Urban Splash has appointed Claire Kober as independent director and chair of the board and Mark Shirburne-Davies as director
The appointments mark a significant milestone for House by Urban Splash – the newly formed organisation between housebuilder Sekisui House, Homes England and Urban Splash.
Claire Kober
Claire Kober will take on the role of independent director and chair of the board, helping House by Urban Splash upscale its creation of homes using modular methods of construction. Kober is the MD of Homes at the Pinnacle Group where she is responsible for managing a portfolio of 24,000 mixed-tenure homes across the UK.
She has also served at a senior level across local and national government, with past roles including chair of London Councils, and council leader for the London Borough of Haringey; under her stewardship, it progressed from an underperforming authority to one of the country’s flagship councils.
Speaking of her appointment Kober said: “I have a huge interest in housing and there’s significant synergy between the work being done by House and my own passion for addressing the UK’s housing crisis.
“I am impressed by the company’s pioneering attitude, innovative approach and hope to lend my experience and insight to the organisation moving forward.”
Homes England interim Chair, Simon Dudley, added: “We’ve long said we’ll disrupt the housing market to increase the pace of construction and we’ve done just that by helping to bring Japan’s biggest housebuilder to UK shores to form a dynamic partnership with a leading SME builder.
“In Claire, House now has a highly experienced political and business operator at the helm and we look forward to seeing the organisation’s next steps to make homes happen.”
Mark Shirburne-Davies
Mark Shirburne-Davies will also join House by Urban Splash as director overseeing the delivery of more than 400 new homes at the Northstowe new town in Cambridgeshire.
His unique property career includes; construction director at Argent Related and COO for developer Pegasus Life, as well as three years in the UAE as executive vice president to ADAC.
Shirburne-Davies will apply his extensive knowledge in MMC that were developed leading Laing O’Rourke’s offsite manufacturing strategies, in Northstowe as House begins to deliver its first modular homes in the spring.
Accelerating the production of MMC homes
Kenta Konishi, chief executive of Sekisui House in the UK, said: “As we bring our own new ideas to the UK, it’s important we collaborate with people already well experienced in the market to help us achieve our House objectives.
“We look forward to learning from Claire and Mark’s track records in handling the challenges and complexities of the sector.”
Urban Splash group chairman Tom Bloxham MBE, added: “We are thrilled to bring Claire and Mark’s skills into our House business; Claire is a strong advocate for change and championing new ideas – something which will help us develop and make our homes accessible to more people – while Mark’s international expertise will help us deliver an impressive new town for Cambridgeshire.”
