Octopus Real Estate appoints Head of Affordable Housing

By Bridging Loan Directory 30th September 2022

Octopus Real Estate, part of Octopus Group and a leading UK specialist real estate lender and investor, has further strengthened its Affordable Housing team with the appointment of Jack Burnham as Head of Affordable Housing.

Jack joins from Thrive Homes, where he spent five years as Executive Director of Growth and Investment.

There he led the Housing Association’s growth programme that saw Thrive named the third-fastest growing Housing Association in the country in 2022, built a forward development programme with over 1,000 plots under control, and secured a landmark investment partnership with an institutional investor.

Jack’s career has crossed the public and private sector, starting at the Greater London Authority and leading on partnerships and joint ventures for two prominent housebuilders in the South East of England.

Earlier this year Octopus announced its entrance into the UK Affordable Housing market. It aims to accelerate the delivery of high-quality, genuinely affordable homes working in partnership with Housing Associations and Local Authorities.

To support its move into the sector, Octopus acquired a Registered Provider (RP) of Social Housing, of which Jack will now be a Director. Octopus is operating a direct let model – rather than lease-based – to ensure a fair sharing of risk with its partners.

Benjamin Davis, CEO at Octopus Real Estate, said:

“We’re delighted to welcome Jack to Octopus Real Estate to drive forward our Affordable Housing activities.

This is a crucial time for the sector, with soaring cost-of-living and energy prices increasing the already pressing need for modern, energy efficient affordable housing.

Jack brings significant experience from his time at Thrive and the GLA, as well at leading housebuilders, which will help us deliver our goal of delivering more new homes.”

Jack Burnham, Head of Affordable Housing, Octopus Real Estate, commented:

“Octopus Real Estate has built a reputation as a leading investor in specialist property that meets growing societal needs.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to join the team and help drive the organisation’s exciting plans for expansion in the Affordable Housing sector.

I look forward to working with the Octopus team to build long-term, lasting partnerships with Housing Associations, contractors, and developers to accelerate the delivery of much-needed affordable homes across the country, and I’m excited to see what we can achieve in the years ahead.”