Gleeson hires group sales director

Housebuilder Gleeson has appointed former Miller and Keepmoat exec Steve McElroy to be its group sales director in charge of leading “strategic growth” across the company.

McElroy, who boasts 30 years’ experience in the housebuilding industry, comes to the job after a period working for his own consultancy business to support Gleeson’s South and West Yorkshire and Midlands teams.

He has also previously worked in-house as a regional sales director at Gleeson Homes.

The firm said McElroy will be responsible for making sure Gleeson’s sales teams deliver high-quality affordable homes and perform in line with the Company’s “strategic growth ambitions”.

The appointment is the latest in a series of high-profile hires to the Sheffield-based low-price private homebuilder, which has appointed a group construction director, a Midlands sales director and a partnerships director all in the last three months.

The hires have come despite £347m turnover Gleeson cutting around 15% of roles in the last six months as sales dropped off in the wake of last year’s mini Budget and soaring mortgage costs.

Mark Knight, chief executive at Gleeson Homes, said he could not think of a better candidate for group sales director than McElroy, given his experience.

“In the current market, establishing a comprehensive sales capability is more important than ever, and we need to ensure that our sales teams are provided with the tools to drive completions and boost revenues,” he said. “I look forward to working closely with Steve across our regions as we enter our next phase of growth and continue in our mission to provide high-quality, affordable homes.”