Octopus Real Estate has recruited Ellie Vlavianou from L&Q as an investment director in its affordable housing team.
At L&Q, Vlavianou served as head of new business, overseeing the development of more than 3,000 new homes.
She joins Peter Merchant, investment director in the affordable housing team, and will report into Jack Burnham, head of affordable housing at Octopus.
Burnham said: “Ellie brings a wealth of experience, having worked on high-profile projects such as the acquisition of Gallagher Estates and the development of Barking Riverside, one of the largest urban extensions in London. Her impressive track record at L&Q and her expertise in affordable housing delivery will significantly enhance our capacity to build thousands of much-needed affordable homes. Over the past year, we’ve expanded the homes we own from 12 to 400, and we’re hoping to take our funds under management to over £500m this year. Ellie’s hire effectively doubles our bandwidth, allowing us to accelerate our deployment engine.”
Vlavianou added: “I am excited to join Octopus Real Estate and contribute to the team’s mission to deliver high-quality, sustainable homes for all stages of life. The opportunity to work with such a dynamic team and help meet housing demand across the country is a compelling one. I look forward to leveraging my experience to secure and grow our development pipeline and build long-term partnerships with developers, housing associations, and local authorities.”
