This Land strengthens team with senior promotions

Three internal promotions at senior level have put development company This Land into an even stronger position to drive the delivery of sustainable homes and new communities across Cambridgeshire.

The company, which was founded in 2017 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cambridgeshire County Council, now has an even more highly experienced team behind its mission to create attractive, eco-friendly new homes that will meet the growing housing needs of the local community.

Moving into the role of Senior Strategic Land Manager is Dominic Bryant, who lives and works in Cambridgeshire and joined This Land 18 months ago as Strategic Land Manager after seven years in property consultancy. “I was attracted by the general culture and character of This Land, in particular its commitment to sustainability, which is something I’m really passionate about,” he says. “I love living and working in Cambridge – it’s good to be able to cycle to work and have a sustainable lifestyle. It’s also great being close to the projects that you’re working on. When you live in the same area, you can relate to local concerns, which helps when it comes to local consultations.

“A number of Local Authorities in our area have delayed preparation of their Local Plans due to uncertainty in the planning system. Now it’s more important than ever for developers to engage with local communities in a proactive and collaborative way to demonstrate the benefits that development can bring.”

This Land’s new Senior Development Manager, Ross Mowle, shares Bryant’s focus on the importance of the environment. “I was enticed by This Land’s commitments to sustainability and design-led schemes, but also by the responsibility and flexibility that the role offered,” he says. Ross was promoted from Development Manager, the role he had held since he joined the company in February 2022, after moving from a similar post at developer Countryside.

Ross, who is a West Ham season ticket holder and a keen runner, is looking forward to the challenges ahead: “I will be contributing to the growth of This Land and helping the company to continue to expand and achieve its goals and objectives.”

The third major new appointment is Ollie Leck, who now takes on the role of Financial Controller, after being promoted from Management Accountant. During his time in that role, Ollie has been delighted with the progress his team has made: “One of the reasons I have enjoyed the role is because I can see the impact I have had in the finance department, so along with my colleagues in finance, we have brought all the accounts preparation in-house and made the month-end more streamlined in the process. I can see the results of the work we have done.

“This Land is without doubt the best company I have worked for, and I’m proud of the way we do things. We’re a corporate entity but it’s not all about the bottom line. At This Land a big part of what we do is ensuring we provide services and improvements for the residents and stakeholders in Cambridgeshire as a whole.”

Ollie, who is a keen golfer and runner, is looking forward to getting stuck into his new role: “I will be working on improving financial processes, supporting the CFO in the development of new management accounts and improving internal reporting processes. Hopefully I will grow in my role as the company grows and we build and deliver more homes. One of the best aspects of the job is that we get to see a project from start to finish; from an initial bid, to a piece of land, to a building site, to a stunning housing development and finally the homes with people living in them. It’s both rewarding and great fun!”

David Lewis, CEO of This Land, said: “The company is going from strength to strength, and to support us as we continue to grow it was vital that we put the right team in place. We were delighted to find the skilled individuals that we needed for these leading roles in-house, through supporting the career development of talented staff. The combined experience, strength and enthusiasm of Dominic Bryant, Ross Mowle and Ollie Leck will ensure that as we expand and take on more building projects we keep firmly to our aims of creating beautifully designed, sustainable new homes, while working with local suppliers to boost the area’s economy.”