LGIM appoints former Countrywide manager to bolster BTR activity

LGIM Real Assets has announced the appointment of a former Countrywide fund manager as part of its Build to Rent (BTR) team.

Katie Davis Maxwell joins the firm as a senior asset manager and completes LGM's six-strong team specialising in land buying, development management and asset management.

Davis Maxwell previously managed the assets of the Vista PRS Fund, a dedicated residential property fund by Countrywide and Hermes. 

The new recruit will report to Dan Batterton, the head of LGIM's BTR team.

Her appointment follows the hire of Adam Russell as ‎Residential Transactions Manager, who joined from private rental landlord Fizzy Living.

"With the appointment of Katie, we have now assembled a dedicated, best-in-class Build to Rent team that allows us to add value to the acquisition, planning, development and operational stages of BTR investment," says Batterton.

"It is this team of professionals who will drive forward our ambitious plans to buy and manage sites as we focus on our initial delivery of 3,000 homes for rent over the coming years."

LGIM already has over 900 BTR homes in planning or under construction, with further sites currently being actively targeted.

The firm says it will be ultimately responsible for the development, management and operation of the entirety of its BTR portfolio.

Activity in the fledgling sector seems to be hotting up as just last week the SDL Group announced its intention to become the UK's largest BTR provider.