Apache Capital has appointed Scott Berry, former group commercial finance director at Watkin Jones, to the newly created role of chief finance officer.
Berry spent almost six years at Watkin Jones and its third-party operational management business Fresh Property Group, where he was commercial finance director.
In his new role, Berry will report to Apache Capital chairman Mervyn Howard and co-founder and chief executive officer John Dunkerley, overseeing finance activities including tax planning, financial reporting and budget management. He will also contribute to the development of Apache’s internal operational platform and support relations with Apache’s investors.
Apache has also promoted Claire Ezekwe and Andy Hill to director positions.
Dunkerley said: “Scott brings with him incredible experience from the worlds of operational real estate and institutional investment. As the UK living sectors mature, we see ‘in-sourced’ operational excellence as being a key differentiator for investment managers, and Scott will help us bolster our operational capabilities as we look to scale our multi- and single-family build-to-rent strategies.”
Berry added: “Apache Capital’s market-leading position was a big pull factor for me, with the business having a proven track record in assembling best-in-class portfolios that are underpinned by solid operations. We share the view that build-to-rent is still in the early days of the journey to becoming a mature, mainstream institutional asset class like purpose-built student accommodation, and that managers with genuine operational know-how and experience will stand to benefit from the sector’s growth.”
