Countryside Properties : Matthew Bench joins Countryside as Group Chief Investment Officer

Countryside, the UK's leading mixed-tenure developer, has appointed Matthew Bench in a newly created role as Group Chief Investment Officer.

As Countryside shifts all resources to its Partnerships business, Matthew will be responsible for identifying, developing and enhancing long-term partnerships with a broad mix of public sector partners and local government, as well as private partners such as institutional investors. These will include PRS providers, housing associations and other registered providers.

Having formerly been Group Partnerships Director at Crest Nicholson and previously Executive Director at Ilke Homes, Matthew brings 20 years of real estate experience specialising in public private partnerships and working with public sector landowners to bring forward major developments and regeneration projects.

Matthew Bench, Group Chief Investment Officer, Countryside, commented: 'Countryside has an enviable reputation in the housebuilding industry, so I'm thrilled to be joining at such a pivotal time for the business. I look forward to working with our long-term partners and building new relationships as we develop our community-focused partnerships strategy.'Iain McPherson, Group Chief Executive, Countryside, added: 'I am delighted to welcome Matthew to the team. With extensive experience in working with a range of partners from both the public and private sectors, I have no doubt he will be instrumental in delivering our ongoing strategy, as we continue to develop our Partnerships model.

'This appointment is testament to our commitment to create sustainable communities and mixed-tenure developments through modern methods of construction from our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. Throughout our 60+-year history, we have always been proud to be pioneers and our vision to work even closer with our partners across the country has not changed.'