黑洞社区

You鈥檝e been in the job at Silver Homes for three months now. What鈥檚 it like?

It is very different. It is a shock to come into a company this size. There are things that you take for granted, in terms of systems and procedures, that just aren鈥檛 there. But that is also part of the fun. It鈥檚 great to get back to basics and pay attention to the minutiae again.

Why did you join Silver Homes?

For many reasons: I liked the diversity of their schemes; it is a market I鈥檓 familiar with; it鈥檚 a small company with enormous potential; and it puts a lot of thought into the product. They have a passion for it.

Are there similarities to working for Berkeley?

Yes, I was at Berkeley for 11 years, doing mainly small and medium-sized bespoke schemes. Berkeley has changed focus, but it is very much Silver Homes鈥� market. Tony Pidgley stamps his passion for the product on the firm. I wanted to go somewhere with the same ethos.

Richard Silver, Silver Homes鈥� chief executive, says the company has 鈥渂ig expansion plans鈥�. What are they?

I can鈥檛 tell you in huge detail. Richard has taken the company to a certain point, and I鈥檓 here to take it to the next level. We鈥檝e done a business plan and taken it to the funders. We have a lot more projects coming through. I鈥檓 particularly keen to move into west Sussex, east Hampshire and southern parts of Surrey.

What other business objectives do you have?

I want to increase size and numbers, and I鈥檓 anxious to raise our profile and brand awareness in the local market.

Silver Homes is associated with upmarket executive homes. Is it still possible to build those nowadays?

On smaller sites, yes. The opportunities are fewer and that begs the question of the premium that might be attached to them in future. We are diversifying and developing more small homes, but we are still looking to make them a premium product.

What鈥檚 the best thing about being with a small company?

The lack of internal politics. Berkeley鈥檚 structure changes so often it is easy to question whether its unsettled pattern is exciting or destructive. But when a company is as successful as Berkeley, it is hard to argue the latter.

And the worst?

Organising funding. Berkeley is extremely strong financially and I never had to worry about where the money was coming from. When you are with a small company it is a constant concern.