Hines, the international real estate firm, has appointed Stephen Finch as head of facilities management – living, Europe within its property management group.
A core focus of this role is on Hines' living portfolio spanning its build to rent (BTR) and purpose built student accommodation (PBSA), under the Hines aparto brand.
Finch joins Hines from the NHS, where most recently he was head of estates for a trust working as part of its Covid-19 response team, working in line with UK government protocols.
Prior to this, Finch worked for the British army, specialising in operations, project management, tactical delivery, training and logistics.
Tom Rix, managing director, living - Europe, at Hines, said: 'It’s a coup to have someone of Stephen’s experience join our team.
'We have clear growth plans across our Living assets in Europe, and Stephen will be a vital component of our operational and facilities management setup as we expand. We welcome Stephen to the Hines family and living team.'
Hines Living platform includes 13.5 million ft2 (1.25 million m2) of assets and €3.8 bn in assets under management in Europe. Finch will be responsible for facilities, operations and mobilisation across the portfolio, reporting to Rix.
The Living sector is a key growth area for Hines. Most recently, the firm acquired a 30,000 m2 portfolio of eight prime sites in France, to develop a series of BTR residential schemes, on behalf of its Hines Pan-European Core Fund (HECF). Other notable projects include Cherrywood in Dublin, Südkreuz in Berlin and two projects in Milan, Giovenale and Ripamonti.
As part of Finch’s appointment, Andy Fletcher will transition to the role of technical operations director at Hines, taking responsibility for the firm’s entire UK portfolio technical needs.
Finch said: 'It’s great to join Tom and the wider living team at Hines. The firm has an exceptional reputation in the burgeoning BTR and PBSA sectors, working on some incredible projects across Europe.
'I look forward to progressing our strategic plans, building on our reputation with the delivery of first-class operational and facilities management services to deliver for our customers.'
