BuildStore Group has appointed Julian Foster as its new chief operating officer (COO).
Foster has been in financial services for over 30 years and was previously chief operating officer at Computershare.
Foster joined Halifax Building Society in 1990 on a management development programme. When Halifax became part of HBOS, he worked in all areas of the bank, including underwriting for its central London mortgage intermediary business, before joining its corporate business team.
Following a series of regular promotions, Foster was appointed as commercial director of its B2B share plan business, HBOS Employee Equity Solutions. During this time, he oversaw multi-million-pound systems developments, as well the acquisition of a key competitor, leading the resultant complex integration programme.
After the credit crunch, when the bank looked to concentrate on its core retail business, Foster played an instrumental role in the sale of the HBOS share plan business to Computershare in 2010.
Foster undertook various senior roles at Computershare including operations director, managing director, divisional managing director and ultimately chief operating officer for the Bristol-based business.
He said: “This is an exciting time to be joining BuildStore. I have spent much of my career leading cultural and technological transformation programmes in response to changing market conditions.
“I am looking forward to being involved in the next successful chapter of BuildStore’s history as market-leaders, following the announcement of some far-reaching government policies to support custom and self build homes. This will culminate in the launch of the Help to Build Equity Loan scheme in September this year.”
Raymond Connor, BuildStore Group CEO, added: “The government’s action plan, including the recent announcement of Help to Build, is an exciting time for the custom and self build industry. So I am really pleased that we have been able to strengthen our team at this crucial juncture with someone of Julian’s experience and calibre.”