Sewell Group has appointed Jo Barnes as its new Managing Director of Sewell Estates.
The appointment comes following another successful year for the Sewell Estates collection of the Yorkshire-based businesses.
Sewell Estates is made up of Sewell Investments, Sewell Construction, Sewell Facilities Management, Illingworth and Gregory and Shared Agenda. Sewell Group also includes the retail operations of Sewell on the go.
Ms Barnes will work with Simon Davison, Group Finance Director, and the business unit Managing Directors to take Sewell Estates to the next level, finding new business synergies and opportunities in line with the Group’s growth aspirations.
She has twenty-six years’ experience working in property development and regeneration across the North of England and Scotland.
She joined Sewell Group in 2008, initially as CEO of Hull Citycare. In 2012, she went on to establish Shared Agenda, a specialist estates consultancy that delivers services across the UK.
Ms Barnes, a Chartered Director, also represents Sewell on various company boards, including the education and regeneration vehicle Hull Esteem, and the joint venture behind the £200m Yorkshire Energy Park development, Hull Eco Park.
She will continue in her role as MD of Shared Agenda, whilst leading the collaborative effort of the Sewell Estates businesses.
“This is the natural next step. Over the past few years our senior team has demonstrated that, even in the toughest of times, our Estates businesses are robust, well led, and filled with talented people who live the Sewell behaviours,” said Paul Sewell, Chair of Sewell Group.
“Over the past decade Jo has grown our public private partnership Citycare and created its hugely successful sister company Shared Agenda. In doing so, she has proven herself to be an outstanding business leader.
“I am hence delighted that she will now become our Estates Managing Director who will coordinate our businesses in Investment, Construction and Facilities Management and work with their leaders to take us to the next level.”
