25th Jan 2007 15:13
Unite Group PLC25 January 2007 25 January 2007 The UNITE Group plc BOARD CHANGES The UNITE Group plc, the UK's leading student hospitality company, announcesthree changes to its Board today: • Further to the announcement on 14 September 2006, Tony Harris todayjoins UNITE's Board as Chief Financial Officer. He will assume responsibilityfor the Finance, IT, Investment and Company Secretariat functions with immediateeffect. • John Tonkiss joins the Board as Managing Director of UNITE's StudentHospitality UK Business. In this role, John will be leading a 700 strong teamresponsible for managing and growing UNITE's student business across the UK,with the important exception of London. Reflecting the significant part thatLondon will play in UNITE's growth plans, a dedicated London team has beenformed reporting directly to Mark Allan, Chief Executive. John joined UNITE in2001 as General Manager of the Group's manufacturing business, where he set upits pioneering off-site manufacturing facility. He became a member of UNITE'sOperations Board and in October 2004, was promoted to Group DevelopmentDirector, managing UNITE's acquisition and development business. • Andrew Lee, Group HR Director at UNITE, has decided to step downfrom the Board with effect from 31 January. He will remain with UNITE untillater this year, focusing on a number of specific leadership and developmentprojects after which he plans to return to a career in academia and consulting.Shane Spiers, who has spent the last three years as HR director of the Group'sHospitality Services division, will succeed Andrew as Group HR Director,although this will not be a Group Board appointment. Geoffrey Maddrell, Chairman of UNITE, commented: "I am delighted to welcome Tony Harris and John Tonkiss to the Board. With thesuccessful launch in November of our UK Student Accommodation Fund, UNITE asmarket leader now stands at an important and exciting juncture in its evolution.Both Tony and John will be invaluable members of the executive team which hasclear plans to capitalize on our leadership position and on the growingopportunities available. "Andrew Lee will undoubtedly hold an important place in the history of UNITE.Through intellect, character, belief and professional skill, he has succeeded inkindling throughout UNITE a fundamental belief in the pivotal importance of howwe behave and develop as individuals, and how we relate to one another and ourcustomers, to the success of the business over the long term. It has been, andwill continue to be, an indispensable requirement in delivering value to ourshareholders. We thank Andrew warmly and wish him great happiness and successin the future." No further details remain to be disclosed as required under LR 9.6.13R of theListing Rules of the UK Listing Authority. ENDSEnquiries: The UNITE Group plcGeoffrey Maddrell Tel: 0207 902 5053 Financial DynamicsStephanie Highett / Dido Laurimore Tel: 020 7831 3113 Notes to Editors: • UNITE is the UK's leading student hospitality company. Listed inthe FTSE 250 index of the London Stock Exchange, and with a property portfoliovalued at some £1.1 billion located across the United Kingdom, the Group focuseson the provision and management of high quality, well-located studentaccommodation and hospitality services in strong higher education markets. • UNITE delivers the real student experience, whilst at the same timehelping to regenerate cities as part of the community and contributing to theimprovement of the country's housing. It undertakes the planning, developmentand management of sites, often working closely with the universities andcolleges, to deliver accommodation for students across all ages andnationalities. UNITE developments typically show high occupancy levels androbust rental growth as demand continues to rise for places in UK HigherEducation and for safe, high quality accommodation for students. Further information on UNITE is available at www.unite-group.co.uk This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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