Mark Bray to oversee technical delivery of housing in midlands business

Avant Homes has recruited an executive from Countryside to help expand its business in the midlands.

Mark Bray

Mark Bray has been appointed technical director by Avant Homes

The northern housebuilder has hired Mark Bray, who for the past three years has been development director at Countryside.

Bray will take on the role of technical director for the £505m-turnover business’s central region business. He also has held positions at Taylor Wimpey, Harron Homes, Bellway and Miller Homes across a 40-year career.

Bray will be responsible for Avant Homes Central’s technical delivery. This includes housetype and development design and supporting the region’s land, commercial, construction and site management teams during various stages of construction.

Avant Homes Central currently has nine live developments and said it has “many more due to start”.

Meanwhile Avant Homes is remaining tight-lipped on any plans to replace Alan Hopwood, who quit as group managing director in January. Hopwood, an ex-Persimmon director, left his role less than nine months into the job.

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A spokesperson told Housing Today the group, which also operates in Scotland, Yorkshire and the north east, has “no announcement to make” on any plans to replace Hopwood currently.

Hopwood had been one of a number of former Persimmon directors to have joined Avant following a reverse takeover by small Yorkshire housebuilder Berkeley DeVeer in 2021, spearheaded by controversial ex-Persimmon chief executive Jeff Fairburn.

Avant reported turnover of £505m in the year to 30 April 2021 and operating profit of £43.9m. It sold 1,921 homes during this period.