Residential development and management company Watkin Jones has named Alan Giddens as its incoming chair and Sarah Sergeant as its next chief financial officer.

Giddins is a former managing partner and global head of private equity at 3i Group. He is currently chair of Hill & Smith Holdings and a non-executive director and investment committee member of Big Society Capital Limited, the UK’s largest social impact-led investor. He will take over from Watkin Jones’ current chair Grenville Turner in October.

Sarah Sergeant will join the board as chief financial officer-designate on 6 October and take over from departing CFO Phil Byrom after a handover period. She is currently CFO of the UK & Ireland region at Compass Group, where she has held a number of senior finance and operational roles including group financial controller, M&A director and CFO of the Asia Pacific region.

Grenville Turner, chair of Watkin Jones, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Alan and Sarah to the board. Alan brings considerable expertise particularly in guiding companies through the execution of their growth strategies and Sarah brings significant financial and operational experience working in complex businesses. Their experience will be invaluable to Watkin Jones as we continue to grow the business.”