Award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group has appointed John Fitzgerald as Managing Director for its Eastern Residential and Western regions, strengthening the company's senior leadership team as it drives forward the next phase of its 2025 to 2030 growth strategy. The move comes as Hill works toward one of the boldest targets in UK housebuilding: doubling annual turnover to €2.7bn by 2030.
With more than 35 years of experience across construction and residential development, John joins Hill at a pivotal point in the company's evolution. His career began at just 16 years old at Willmott Dixon Construction, where he first worked alongside Hill's founder and Chief Executive Andy Hill, who also started his early career at that organisation. Their paths have now crossed again, decades on, at the top of one of Britain's most closely watched housebuilders. In between, John joined Furlong Homes before spending more than two decades at Telford Homes, now known as Telford Living, where he rose to become Group Managing Director.
In his new role, John will provide strategic leadership and support regional teams in delivering high-quality developments, while building the structure and capacity needed for continued growth. Working closely with colleagues across construction, development, technical, commercial and sales teams, his focus will be on strengthening operational performance, developing high-performing teams and ensuring projects are delivered safely, efficiently and to Hill's exacting quality standards. Key developments across his regions include Marleigh Park in Cambridge, Little Chalfont Park in Buckinghamshire, Canalside Quarter in Oxford, Whalebones Park in Barnet and Sawyers Close in Windsor.
Andy Hill OBE, Founder and Chief Executive of The Hill Group, said: "John is a highly respected leader in our industry and brings an exceptional depth of experience across both construction and residential development. Having worked together earlier in our careers, I know first-hand the calibre of leadership he brings, his passion for developing people and his unwavering commitment to quality." "We have an ambitious vision for the future of Hill, with a clear strategy to grow the business significantly over the next five years while remaining true to the values that have underpinned our success. John's appointment strengthens our senior leadership team and will play an important role in delivering our five-year strategic plan as we work towards doubling the size of the business. His experience in leading complex organisations, developing talented people and driving operational excellence will be invaluable as we continue to grow."
John's appointment also lands at a telling moment for investors watching UK residential real estate. Homes England, the government's housing and regeneration agency, has secured up to €53.7bn to invest in communities across England as part of efforts to deliver 1.5 million new homes and lift annual net additions above 300,000, backed by a new National Housing Bank designed to unlock more than €58bn of additional private capital. At the same time, local government pension schemes have emerged as direct buyers of stabilised housing stock, a trend expected to continue as more housebuilders build rental delivery into their business models. With roughly half of its own pipeline already delivered through joint ventures with local authorities, housing associations and private partners, and a landbank exceeding 42,000 homes, Hill looks well placed to capture a growing share of this wave of public and institutional capital as it pushes toward 2030.
Founded in 1999 and now in its 27th year, The Hill Group has grown into the UK's second-largest privately-owned housebuilder and a top 10 name in the sector, employing approximately 1,000 people from five regional offices including Bristol and Abingdon, alongside its Waltham Abbey head office. The company completed more than 3,300 homes in the last financial year and holds a pipeline of more than 42,000 homes, including 10,800 with planning consent. Hill has won more than 500 industry awards, including WhatHouse? Housebuilder of the Year in 2015, 2020 and 2023, and has held 5-star status in the Home Builders Federation's Customer Satisfaction Survey for nine consecutive years. It is also ranked the UK's number one housebuilder on Trustpilot, with a score of 4.9 out of 5. Through its Foundation 200 programme, the company has donated 200 fully equipped modular homes to local authorities and homeless charities as part of a €17.5m pledge marking its 20th anniversary.
People mentioned
- John Fitzgerald – newly appointed Managing Director, Eastern Residential and Western regions, The Hill Group
- Andy Hill OBE – Founder and Chief Executive, The Hill Group
Companies mentioned
- The Hill Group – UK top 10 housebuilder appointing John Fitzgerald as Managing Director
- Willmott Dixon Construction – where John Fitzgerald began his career at 16
- Furlong Homes – earlier employer of John Fitzgerald
- Telford Homes (now Telford Living) – where John Fitzgerald spent more than two decades, becoming Group Managing Director
- Homes England – government housing and regeneration agency, a long-standing partner of Hill
