PROPERTY giant Grainger has appointed an expert from the utilities sector to its board.
Tony Wray, the chief executive of Severn Trent Water, has joined the board of the Newcastle-based business as a non-executive director.
Prior to his post at Severn Trent, which he has held since 2007, Wray worked in senior management positions for British Gas and Transco. He is also an independent non-executive director of Energy and Utility Skills, the sector skills council, and is a member of the Business Advisory Board for Living with Environmental Change.
Grainger, which is the UK’s biggest residential landlord, said Wray’s experience covers working for major, consumer-facing companies with multiple stakeholders at sites across the country.
Grainger chairman Robin Broadhurst said: “Tony brings with him a wealth of experience from working at large-scale companies operating in the closely regulated utilities industry. I am certain that his broad perspective and customer focus will ensure he makes a major contribution to the Grainger board.
“I very much look forward to working alongside him, and am pleased to be welcoming him to the company as we continue to grow and expand our activities across the UK.”
Grainger, which owns around £2.4bn of property and manages more than £3bn of assets, announced earlier this month it is preparing to launch a fund to finance the building of more than 1,000 homes for rent.
It is teaming up with French construction company Bouygues Development to raise around £150m from investors to build more than 1,000 units for the residential private rental market in London and the South East.
