David Taylor-Smith joins Wates Property Services

David Taylor-Smith MBE has been appointed as a Non-Executive Chairman of Wates Property Services (WPS).

Taylor-Smith brings a wealth of family owned, public and private equity owned business experience to this role. He began his career in the British Army before rising to become a FTSE 100 Board Director and then a Private Equity CEO and has managed businesses in over 70 countries.

Currently, he chairs two Private Equity owned companies; OCU Group, a utility services business, and WJ Group, a highway maintenance company. He is also a Senior Advisor to the Swiss Bank, Pictet, and to Haniel Group, a family-owned industrial conglomerate and is a trustee of the Churchill Fellowship.

WPS is on a strong growth trajectory, with the business reporting a record forward order book of £2.1 billion last year.

The business maintains half a million homes through its work with over 60 social housing providers and provides facilities management services to multiple public and private sector clients. The business is at the forefront of decarbonising buildings supporting clients on their journey to net zero, in 2023 it retrofitted 2,000 homes, with 3,000 in the pipeline and won ‘Best Sustainability Supplier’ with HMRC.

Speaking about his appointment, Taylor-Smith said: “I’m delighted to be joining Wates Property Services. I have long admired Wates Group and I have been impressed by Wates’ passion for ensuring that the places where we live and work are maintained and developed for future generations. I look forward to supporting the Wates Property Services team to grow their business and continue this excellent work.”

David Morgan, Executive Managing Director of Wates Property Services said: “David’s extensive experience, proven track record and strategic ability will be invaluable as we continue to develop and grow our business. His knowledge of the facilities management market will be particularly instrumental in helping us grow our market leading proposition in social housing and facilities management, ensuring we continue to expand our vital work in housing repairs, healthy homes, building safety, and energy efficiency.”

Eoghan O’Lionaird, Chief Executive Officer, Wates Group added: “Our property services business is a market leader in planned and responsive housing repairs and zero carbon retrofit services. Wates Group recently became the first major contractor to sign the TCPA’s Healthy Homes pledge, a campaign to ensure the industry is committed to creating health-promoting living environments. This has always been the core of Wates Property Service’s mission and I welcome David’s appointment to support the continued growth of our business and delivery of homes and buildings to the highest standards.”