Who we are
The Team
we are good at what we do
The team
Our multi-disciplinary executive team has more than 30 years hands-on experience in the sourcing, delivery and management of real estate development and investment, including regeneration and housing.
The team brings together proven resource in property development and management, legal and accountancy, banking and finance, risk, governance and Local Authority understanding.
Chief Executive Officer
Findlay MacAlpine
Findlay, a chartered surveyor, began his 30+ year investment career with Standard Life before joining Conrad Ritblat (now Colliers) as investment director, advising clients on multi-sector property investment and development funding opportunities throughout the UK.
Following 18 years as an equity partner with Mason Philips Chartered Surveyors where he sourced, acquired and managed commercial and mixed use investment and development opportunities with Ashbourne and other clients, Findlay left Mason Philips and set up Ashbourne Capital Partners with David in March 2016.
Findlay became a shareholder and director of Preferred Homes Limited in March 2019.
Social Partnership Director
Stephen Sorrell MBE
Stephen is a specialist commercial and residential development and investment lawyer and was a senior real estate partner at Eversheds Sutherland for 27 years. Stephen is a social housing specialist and acted for many Local Authorities and Homes England since its creation as English Partnerships and has worked on grant and loan facilities offered by Homes England to Registered Providers and residential developers.
Instrumental to the delivery of the legacy development of the London 2012 Olympic Park, including the Registered Social Landlord led residential development delivery within the Park, Stephen has acted for many of the UK’s major developers, institutional investors and public bodies.
Stephen developed the innovative public/private co-investment partnership model, now adopted by several UK local authorities which enables surplus public sector land to be brought forward alongside investor funding for development outside of the European procurement rules.
Stephen set up Preferred Homes Limited in September 2016.
Chief Financial Officer
David newsome
A chartered accountant, David joined Ernst & Young in 1995 where he managed a significant client portfolio within the trust department of the firm and developed an expertise in structuring, administration, compliance, property acquisition and property management.
In 1998 David left Ernst & Young and started working with Findlay acquiring UK property for individuals and companies and, together they set up Ashbourne to acquire, manage and sell UK property for world-wide investors. David has successfully managed the business plan modelling, structuring, financing, administration, accounting and joint venture partnership, investor, banking, professional adviser and tax authority relationships of Ashbourne over the past 20+ years.
David set up Ashbourne Capital Partners with Findlay in March 2016 and became a shareholder and director of Preferred Homes Limited in March 2019.
In addition, David set up and owns a Trust and Company Service Provider (“TCSP”), Monalin Management Services Ltd which is authorised to carry out the business of a TCSP by the Department of Justice and Law Reform in Ireland. David is an experienced independent non-executive director having provided corporate governance, risk assessment and compliance knowledge and expertise.
Risk Director
Alan Ferguson
Alan has over 25 years’ experience in Real Estate and Corporate Asset Restructuring. He joined JP Morgan Chase Real Estate Finance team in New York as a graduate in 1990. He worked on several high-profile US property transactions supporting senior management in the development and restructure of Canary Wharf in the London Docklands. In 1996, he left JP Morgan Chase and returned to the UK where he obtained a Masters Degree in Marketing with Finance.
In 1998, he joined The Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi in London where he held roles in Leveraged Finance Credit and Origination. In 2001, Alan joined the Leveraged Finance Team in the Restructuring Division at RBS where he led a number of prominent debt restructures through 2007. In January 2008, Alan was appointed Managing Director, Head of Restructuring Americas, where he integrated the restructuring divisions of ABN Amro and Citizens Bank into the RBS Group. He subsequently led a team of 150 restructuring professionals across 11 offices in the Americas, managing assets of $45BN.
In September 2012, he returned to RBS in London before joining RBS Williams and Glynn as Managing Director, Head of Corporate Business Change in July 2013. With the creation of the RBS Capital Resolution Group in January 2014, Alan moved to the role of Head of Indirect Asset Management where he drove the disposal of non-core real estate and corporate assets. Alan left RBS and joined Ashbourne Capital Partners in March 2016, becoming a shareholder and director of Preferred Homes Limited in March 2019.
Alan has sat on numerous Company Boards as an observer to support management teams in his former roles at RBS. He most recently served as a Non-Executive Director of a Dutch holding company where he drove a strong risk, corporate governance and compliance culture
property Director
Richard Frank
A chartered surveyor, Richard began his property career in 1987 with Egerton Developments where he was responsible for the development of sites for office accommodation around Heathrow Airport.
In 1991, Richard moved to Safeway Stores where he was responsible for the South East of England, sourcing individual sites, securing planning consents and delivering projects for construction.
In 1996 Richard joined Asda Stores heading up the development programme for the South East of England. He played a key role in the early expansion of the company under Archie Norman and Allan Leighton. Following Wal Mart’s acquisition of Asda, Richard reported to the Wal Mart board in Bentonville and oversaw capital expenditure of some £450m, managing a team of consultants and delivering significant town centre regeneration centred around food stores.
Upon leaving Asda in 2004, Richard co-founded Town & Beach Ltd to assist Asda with added value opportunities within their property portfolio. This led to securing rights to develop the Asda Crossharbour store on the Isle of Dogs, a major regeneration project on 11 acres providing a new Asda food store, a District Shopping Centre, various community uses and over 850 residential units of which some 240 were affordable.
Working closely with The London Borough of Tower Hamlets and the GLA, and forging a new partnership with Ashbourne who were to bring capital to the project, a planning permission was secured and further capital injected to progress this major regeneration within London’s Docklands. Richard continues to provide consultancy advice on the scheme which now incorporates a school, theatre, and increased residential content of 2000 units.
In March 2016 Richard joined Ashbourne Capital Partners, becoming a shareholder and director of Preferred Homes Limited in March 2019.
Non-Executive Directors
Jean Bray, Ian Brown & Judith Watson.
The Executive Team is supported by it’s non-executive directors, Jean Bray, Ian Brown and the boards Chairperson, Judith Watson.
Preferred Homes Limited’s Chair, Judith Watson, is a former solicitor and specialist in employment and pension rights law. Judith has active roles in the charitable sectors including Manchester Camerata (music-led dementia therapy) where she was chair from 2011 to 2017 and is currently a trustee of Wood Street Mission (a registered children’s charity).
Ian Brown is experienced in both the development and management of social housing and has held leadership roles in companies with a focus on private sector and social housing. Ian has contributed to regeneration projects incorporating new build affordable homes, has held a senior position with Livin Housing, a housing association managing 8,400 homes across County Durham, and is currently managing director of charity Onsite Building Trust.
Jean Bray has a strong background in social housing having been North West Regional Lead for Housing LIN since 2008, a highly regarded consultant in the Extra Care sector and an EROSH service excellence adviser/assessor since 2005. From 1993 to 2005, Jean was housing and services manager with Anchor Trust where she was responsible for the management of 74 sheltered housing schemes.