Stonewater, one of the UK’s leading affordable housing providers, has appointed Matthew Crucefix as Group Director of Development.

 

Matthew will drive Stonewater’s ambitious new development programme at a vital time for the sector, taking over the role with immediate effect from James Bradbury, who was recently appointed Stonewater’s Chief Investment Officer.

 

Matthew previously served as interim Director of Development Operations, where he was responsible for the management and delivery of Stonewater’s development programme across all operating areas, including sale and lettings of new properties.

 

In his work at Stonewater, and its predecessor Raglan, he has demonstrated a dedicated commitment to delivering vital new affordable homes since 2010.

 

Matthew said: “I have had the pleasure of delivering a wide variety of development schemes and opportunities in my time with Stonewater so far. It’s been rewarding to manage programmes that have contributed to achieving our ambitious growth aspirations and I look forward to continuing to position ourselves as a leading voice in the sector.

 

“The UK is facing a real crisis in delivering affordable housing, particularly in rural areas, with research by the English Rural Housing Association finding that only nine per cent of rural homes were classified as affordable versus 19% in urban areas.

 

“I am passionate about our commitment to help resolve this, finding opportunities to deliver new homes in rural areas that are both affordable and appropriate to support the long-term sustainability of rural communities.”

 

Matthew joined the housing sector in 2010, starting out as a Community Initiatives Officer with Raglan. After Stonewater’s formation in 2015, he then took up the role of Regional Development Manager before holding several senior positions in the Development team.

 

Throughout his time at both organisations, Matthew has been involved or overseen the delivery of projects across England, including veteran self-help builds, modular homes and rural housing. More recently, Matthew held the position of Director of Development Operations for seven months until his appointment as Group Director of Development.

 

His experience in delivering affordable housing includes mixed tenure design and build schemes, large-scale acquisitions and joint ventures, alongside experience in community development.

 

James Bradbury, Chief Investment Officer at Stonewater, said, “One of the best parts of my job is when I see colleagues being given opportunities to grow and develop their careers at Stonewater.

 

“Matt’s career is an interesting example of how to make the best use of your transferable skills, as within eight years of joining us, Matt went from working as a Community Initiatives Officer to being responsible for half of our development programme.

 

“Seeing him move into the Group Director of Development role is proof of his continued dedication to Stonewater’s continued growth and it’s great to see how we, as an organisation, really do grow our own talent and support colleagues in their careers.”