Avant chief executive to step down

Colin Lewis, chief executive of 2,000-homes a year housebuilder Avant, is to step down year after more than a decade in charge of the firm.

Lewis (pictured on right) will be replaced by Mark Mitchell (pictured on left), currently chief operating officer of the £500m-turnover northern housebuilder.

Lewis joined as chief executive in 2010 while the housebuilder, then called Gladedale, was under the ownership of Lloyds Bank after the bank took it over in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

When he leaves the post on April 30 next year, the firm said he will serve as non-executive deputy chairman of the business.

The firm said the changes were expected and had been made as part of the business’s long-term succession planning. The changes will also see Scott Varley, currently a divisional managing director at the firm, appointed as chief operating officer.

Mitchell, the incoming chief executive, joined what was then Gladedale in 2001 as a quantity surveyor, becoming regional managing director of the Yorkshire region and group operations officer prior to taking up the role of chief operating officer.

Paul Bridges, chairman of Avant, said: “We cannot thank Colin enough for his dedication, passion, strategies and motivation that he has given Avant over the past almost 11 years.

“The skills Mark has shown alongside Colin have been integral to the success of the company and I am sure Mark will provide continuity in the implementation of our business plan of growth in the north of the UK.”