Lainston - Appointment - Southampton

Date: 07 Mar 2008

A prominent senior finance professional from Hampshire has joined Southampton based property development group Lainston.

Simon Burr is the group's newly appointed finance director. Simon, 53, said: "I'll be working closely with Russell Clarke the founder and MD to move the business forward as it becomes a bigger player on the south coast.

"Lainston has great prospects as it mainly develops on brownfield sites and provides affordable housing for first-time buyers and investors. It is a winning combination."

The Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants was previously with a FTSE 100 Company, Associated British Foods (ABF), notably as Group Finance Director for 14 years at the Andover based tea company Twinings.

Father-of-four Simon, from Basingstoke, read agricultural economics at Reading University before "falling by accident" into accountancy via the agri-chemical industry.

Russell said: "We're thrilled to have someone of such stature and industry experience on board. Simon will play a pivotal role in our plans to grow Lainston."

Lainston, which has 20 plus staff, is currently building more than 50 homes on four sites in the Southampton area, with a further 200 in the pipeline.

Simon Burr