Unite Group PLC Directorate Change (5353O)
May 18 2018 - 2:00AM
UK Regulatory
TIDMUTG
RNS Number : 5353O
Unite Group PLC
18 May 2018
18 May 2018
THE UNITE GROUP PLC
("Unite Students", "Unite", the "Group", or the "Company")
DIRECTORATE CHANGE
The Unite Group plc, the UK's leading manager and developer of
student accommodation, announces that Richard Simpson will be
stepping down from his role with immediate effect. After 13 years
with Unite, including six as Group Property Director, Richard has
decided to take up the role as CEO of Watkin Jones plc. Richard
will remain with the Group on garden leave until 31 December 2018
to ensure a smooth handover. From 1st January 2019 he will be free
to take up his new role.
Nick Hayes will be promoted to Group Property Director, but will
not be appointed to the Board of Directors. Nick has been at Unite
for 11 years and is currently the Company's Property Director. Nick
has been leading the Group's development and property activities
for the last two years and brings a wealth of experience to the
role.
The Company does not intend to replace Richard Simpson's
position on the Board of Directors and will continue with a Board
of seven directors, comprising a non-executive chairman, two
executive directors and four non-executive directors.
Phil White, Chairman of Unite, commented:
"I would like to thank Richard for his contribution to Unite
over a number of years and particularly since joining the Board in
2012. Richard has been instrumental in driving Unite's property
strategy to create a high-quality portfolio focused on the best
universities in the UK.
"Nick's promotion is well-deserved and I am delighted that he
will be taking on more responsibilities, building on the excellent
work that he has been delivering across our properties and
university partnerships."
-ENDS-
For further information, please contact:
Unite Students
Joe Lister, Chief Financial Officer Tel: +44 117 302 7053
Powerscourt (PR adviser to Unite)
Justin Griffiths or Mazar Masud Tel: +44 207 250 1446
Notes to editors:
About Unite Students
Unite Students is the UK's largest manager and developer of
purpose-built student accommodation serving the country's
world-leading higher education sector. We currently provide homes
for almost 50,000 students in more than 140 properties across 24
leading university towns and cities in England and Scotland. Unite
also has a strong development pipeline, which will deliver a
further 8,000 beds in the next three years.
Our 1,450 people are driven by a common purpose: to provide the
students who live with us a 'Home for Success' and to be the most
trusted brand in the sector. We do this through great service,
great people and great properties, all designed on the basis of an
unrivalled insight into students' needs and preferences.
Unite's accommodation is high quality, safe and secure, and
located close to university campuses, transport links and local
amenities. Students live predominantly in en-suite study bedrooms
with rents covering all bills, insurance, 24-hour security,
fortnightly cleaning services and high-speed Wi-Fi. MyUnite, our
mobile app, provides practical support such as instant messaging
and maintenance requests.
Our commitment to customer service is powered by an innovative,
in-house operating platform. It provides a wide range of benefits
to our students, such as an optimised online booking process, as
well as providing us with a unique ability to drive value from our
portfolio through scale efficiencies and revenue management.
Alongside delivering great service, our other strategic priority
is delivering growing and sustainable earnings, underpinned by a
strong capital structure. A key part of this strategy is growing
the number of beds let though partnerships with mid and high tariff
universities which are experiencing record levels of student
demand. We currently partner with 60 higher education institutions,
guaranteeing that approximately 60% of our rooms are let under
multi-year, 'nomination agreements' providing high visibility of
forward occupancy and rental growth.
Unite is invested in and operates two specialist funds and joint
ventures with institutional investment partners: the GBP2 billion
Unite UK Student Accommodation Fund (USAF), and the GBP1 billion
London Student Accommodation Vehicle (LSAV).
Unite is the founder of and major donor to the Unite Foundation,
a charitable trust established to support talented students facing
challenging financial circumstances through the provision of free
accommodation annual scholarships. The Foundation has so far
provided scholarships for 250 young people working in close
collaboration with 28 universities.
Founded in 1991 in Bristol, Unite Group is an award-winning Real
Estate Investment Trust (REIT), listed on the London Stock Exchange
and a member of the FTSE 250 Index.
For more information, please visit Unite's corporate website
www.unite-group.co.uk, the student site www.unite-students.com or
the Unite Foundation www.unitefoundation.co.uk.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
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