NHS Property Services’ chief executive Elaine Hewitt has left the organisation to take up a new role in the residential and academic accommodation sector.
Hewitt has joined UPP Group as chief executive. UPP has more than 36,000 rooms in operation or under construction through long-term, bespoke partnerships with 15 universities.
She had been chief executive of NHS Property Services since 2015 and was responsible for managing and servicing a £3bn asset portfolio, some 4,000 properties, 5,000 employees and an annual income of more than £700m.
Her departure comes after watchdog the Public Accounts Committee slammed the NHS private limited company for being set up with “a muddle objective”. It called out the organisation on the fact that 70% of its tenants at the time of its report still do not have rental agreements.
Prior to this, Hewitt held the position of group property director at BT Group, where she managed the largest corporate portfolio in the UK, delivering services to 7,000 properties globally. She has also held public sector roles, including crown representative in the Cabinet Office for property and facilities management across government.
Hewitt will join UPP on 1 April, succeeding current chief executive Richard Bienfait, who announced in September last year that he would be leaving the company at the end of this month. He is departing UPP to take up the role of chief financial officer at international construction and consulting company Mace.
Robert McClatchey, chairman of UPP Group Holdings, said: “Elaine’s appointment as chief executive officer comes at an important moment for the company and the wider student accommodation sector. In an increasingly competitive market, where affordability and quality are high on the agenda, not just for students but also for regulators of higher education, her considerable experience and expertise in delivering facilities and property services will reinforce UPP’s position as the leading on-campus accommodation provider.”
Ian Ellis, chairman of NHS Property Services, said: “Elaine has been offered an amazing opportunity by UPP Group and we wish her well in her exciting new role. Elaine leaves NHS Property Services a much improved business, delivering real value to frontline NHS services and in a strong position to influence and support the future public healthcare estate as part of the wider NHS Long Term Plan. As we move forward we will continue to ensure we help the NHS transform and enable excellent patient care across our organisation. Martin Steele, current COO, will become acting chief executive officer from 1 April 2020.”
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