McLean appointed to replace Mawson as Placefirst CEO
Lee McLean will begin his new role on 3 August, joining the residential developer from Campus Living Ventures.
McLean, who has been the chief executive of CLV for the last seven years, will replace David Mawson, who announced in January he would stand down after six years as Placefirst’s chief executive. Mawson is now Placefirst’s executive chair.
Prior to joining CLV, McLean was managing director of Vita Student. He began his career at Carillion and has had stints at Unite Students and EY.
“Placefirst has built a clear identity in single-family rental, with a portfolio and delivery model that stands out in the UK market,” McLean said.
“The opportunity now is to scale that platform further, expanding partnerships and continuing to grow in undersupplied regions. I’m looking forward to building on its strong foundations and working with the team.”
The new CEO will take overall responsibility for Placefirst’s 2,300-home portfolio. The firm, backed by Matter Real Estate, currently has 1,300 homes under construction and a further 600 in the pipeline, with a long-term target of 10,000 homes.
Among Placefirst’s schemes are Castleward Place in Derby and the 139-home Harlow Vale in Mansfield.
David Mawson, executive chair of Placefirst, said: “It has been a privilege to lead Placefirst over the past few years and to see the platform grow to where it is today.
“I am pleased to be handing over to Lee at such an important stage in its development. He brings the right experience to lead the business forward, and I am looking forward to working closely with him as the business continues to expand.”
David Christie, chief executive of Matter Real Estate, added: “Lee’s appointment represents a natural next step in Placefirst’s development as a scaled SFR platform.
“His experience driving growth in operational residential sectors will be key as we continue to expand the portfolio. I would also like to thank David Mawson for his leadership in building Placefirst into the platform it is today, and we’re pleased he will remain closely involved as executive chair.”
