Dorset-based housebuilder AJC Group has made five new strategic hires across the business. The expansion of the team comes as the affordable housing specialist progresses new projects across the south coast, within Dorset and Hampshire. The increasing number of residential developments is in line with its commitment to build 500 affordable homes within five years.
Neil Horgan joins as senior site manager, in what is a new role for the business, taking the lead on operations at AJC Group’s Dorchester Brewery scheme in Dorchester. He brings nine years of experience in the housebuilding industry, with extensive experience in site management for large SME and PLC housebuilders. He was previously a senior site manager for Bewley Homes for two years. Prior to this he held site manager roles for Bellway and Persimmon Homes, and was an assistant site manager for Barratt Homes. Before embarking on his construction career, Neil served in the Royal Navy for eight years.
Abigail Beavers joins as quantity surveyor and has worked in the industry since 2016. In that time, she has completed her HNC and then BSc (Hons) in Quantity Surveying. She has experience with both new builds and Grade II listed refurbishments in a range of projects, including care homes, houses, apartments, and cottages. Abigail is currently working towards gaining RICS chartership.
Isabella Bright joins the land and planning team as a Land Buyer. Since graduating from Royal Holloway in 2019 with a BSc (Hons) Geography degree, Isabella has held a number of property related roles. She explored her interest in land and planning by training as a land buyer with a PLC housebuilder.
Paul Whittaker joins as assistant site manager within the construction team at The Sloop development in the heart of Poole, where 86 new homes are being delivered. Paul joins with over seven years of logistic and construction management experience from his role at Buckingham Group Contracting. He brings with him vast experience on multiple award-winning construction projects. His qualifications include NVQ level 6 Construction Management.
Harry Williams joins AJC Group as finance assistant and will be working from its Poole-headquartered office. Harry previously worked for Smarter Technologies Trading Ltd in Ringwood, Hampshire, which was part of a group of trading companies. Harry will be supported to complete his ATT qualifications, while fulfilling his role as part of the finance team.
Seb Janes, managing director of AJC Group, said:
“We are pleased to have welcomed five highly experienced and enthusiastic individuals to the team to help us reach our ambitions of being the leading affordable housing developer in the Wessex region. With these new hires we can expand our operations and look to secure more sites for development. In the past two years, we have almost tripled our team, and have introduced further efficiencies and processes to ensure we can meet our targets, and deliver the highest quality affordable homes.
“At AJC Group we place a strong emphasis on company culture, and want our employees to get the most out of coming into work, whether it be at our office on Sandbanks Road, or on any of our construction sites. We have adopted a flexible working approach and host wellness events, as well as team building sessions to add a different dimension to the working week.”
Six sites are currently under construction by AJC Group, including a development in the village of Okeford Fitzpaine near Blandford Forum in rural Dorset. Live projects on Lindsay Road, The Sloop, and Herbert Avenue, are all located in Poole, while The Sonnet apartment scheme is in Bournemouth. The firm has also recently started construction at one of its largest projects, which will deliver 57 affordable houses and apartments for Aster Group within the Dorchester Brewery regeneration scheme.