Clarkson joins Beal as housebuilder drives for growth

Mr Clarkson has joined East Yorkshire-based Beal from national housebuilder Taylor Wimpey, bringing 10 years of experience as a PLC Director to the family-run company.

His arrival comes as Chief Executive Richard Beal targets a step-change in sales volumes from around 300 completions a year currently to 400 in the next two-three years, as a platform for further growth.

As part of this, multi award-winning Beal is actively looking to expand beyond its established footprint in Hull, East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

Mr Clarkson, who is 40, has joined Beal after five years as Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey Yorkshire and, before that, five years as Yorkshire Sales Director for Bellway Homes.

He said he was attracted to the role by the opportunity to join the leadership team at a family-owned business with an industry-wide reputation for quality, innovation and uniquely-personal customer service.

Beal is renowned for offering every buyer the opportunity to completely customise their new home, working with the housebuilder’s expert designers to make it a perfect fit for their lifestyle and tastes.

Mr Clarkson, who is married with three daughters and lives in Doncaster, said: “I had always heard great things about Beal Homes and saw this as an excellent opportunity to join a family-owned business with an entrepreneurial culture. 

“Beal is a company with values that align with mine and that has an outstanding reputation for quality. It’s really important for me to feel proud of what we build and sell.

“I’m excited to be part of the Beal leadership team and to play my full part in driving the business forward. I’m here to grow our sales volumes, delivering on Richard’s vision, and to build the sales team.

“We’ll do that while maintaining the five-star quality and the unique customer experience Beal is so well known for.

“The bespoke home design service is a fantastic USP. It’s something that makes Beal completely unique, that differentiates us from other housebuilders, and opens doors to a wider market, including beyond our traditional geographical area.”

Richard Beal said Mr Clarkson would bring a valuable new dimension to the business, with Director-level experience at two PLCs, as well as being an excellent personality fit.

He said that, as economic conditions improve, the business was well placed to capitalise upon its investment in industry-leading customer service facilities at the company’s head office at Bridgehead business park in Hessle, East Yorkshire.

“We’re delighted to welcome Ross to our team at a time when we’re ready to take our volumes to a new level,” he said.

“We’re ready to put our foot on the gas to deliver the high-quality new homes our region needs, when market conditions allow.

“We have a strong landbank and a business model offering homebuyers a service that is in high demand.

“With the investment we’ve made in our new head office and Design Lounge, we have the capacity to increase our volumes significantly.

“Part of that will be looking beyond our traditional footprint, while still focusing on sites within an hour’s drive time of our head office. That takes in large parts of West, South and North Yorkshire and we’re actively looking for attractive opportunities in these areas.”

Founded 56 years ago, Beal has grown to become acknowledged as the region’s leading independent housebuilder. 

Beal’s success is largely based on its unique business model offering every buyer an unrivalled level of personalisation. The service includes the option for customers to move walls of their new home to change the interior layout, in addition to selecting from an extensive range of high-quality fixtures, fittings, finishes and upgrades.

The housebuilder has been awarded the Home Builders Federation’s top five-star rating for the past four years – a distinction achieved each time Beal has entered the awards.

Mr Clarkson succeeds Sue Waudby, who has retired after 21 years as Sales and Marketing Director. Over this time, annual home sales more than trebled and Beal continually invested in and developed its bespoke home design service.