UK listed property developer-investor Harworth has appointed Andrew Blackshaw as Chief Operating Officer and Jonathan Haigh to the newly created role of Chief Investment Officer, both effective from 1 September 2021.
Ian Ball, who joined Harworth in 2014 and was appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2019, had previously advised management of his intention to leave the business at the end of January 2022.
Blackshaw joined Harworth in January this year as interim director of corporate strategy. In his new role, he will be focused on the implementation of the group’s strategic plan, working with Harworth’s regional directors to bring forward sites including direct development, the delivery of new products and partnerships, as well as ensuring that the business has the necessary skills to grow.
Most recently, he was managing director of Manchester Airport Group (MAG) Investment Assets, where he led the investment asset optimisation of MAG’s income portfolio, culminating in the disposal of MAG’s non-core portfolio to Threadneedle Investments in August 2020. He previously held senior roles at Deloitte and PwC where he provided strategic, restructuring, and transactional advice to real estate businesses.
Haigh has been supporting Harworth as a consultant for the last six months, and in his role as Chief Investment Officer (CIO), he will oversee Harworth’s Income Generation portfolio, as well as strategic acquisitions and direct development, and will provide technical, commercial and natural resources expertise to the regional teams. He over 25-years’ experience in property development and transactions, gained in leadership roles variously as developer, investor, occupier and adviser.
He joined Harworth from MAG Property, where as managing director he led the development side of that business and associated transactions across the MAG Group, and was a driving force behind the Airport City Manchester scheme. He previously led a team at PwC responsible for devising and executing work-out strategies and loan book trading. Prior to that he worked for Ballymore, where he led the investment and development activity for numerous large-scale and market-leading schemes.
