Appointment of Non-Executive Director

RNS Number : 8147L

Unite Group PLC

14 January 2016

 

Press release 14 January 2016

THE UNITE GROUP PLC

('Unite Students', 'Unite', the 'Group', or the 'Company')

UNITE APPOINTS PATRICK DEMPSEY AS NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Unite Group plc, the UK's largest provider of student accommodation, today announces that Patrick Dempsey OBE will join its Board as a Non-Executive Director, with effect from 1st March 2016.

From March 2004 until February 2015, Patrick was managing director of Whitbread Hotels & Restaurants. He also sat as an executive director on the Board of Whitbread PLC, a FTSE50 company and the UK's largest hospitality company between January 2009 and February 2015. During his time with Whitbread, he oversaw the rapid growth of Premier Inn to an estate of approximately 700 hotels and 60,000 rooms. 

Including his time at Whitbread he has worked for more than 30 years in the hotel and restaurant business, and has held posts including Chief Executive of Macdonald Hotels, managing director of Forte Hotels UK and Chief Executive of Restaurant Associates, part of Compass Group plc. Patrick was also awarded an OBE in the 2012 Queen's Honours list for his services to the hospitality industry.

Phil White, Chairman of Unite, commented:

"I am delighted to welcome Patrick to the Board as a Non-Executive Director. His experience and knowledge of running and growing large service orientated brands will strengthen the expertise of the board at a time when students and universities are becoming ever more demanding in their expectations of student accommodation."

Patrick Dempsey added:

"Unite has a market leading position in the UK student accommodation sector, providing a home for over 46,000 students in 138 properties across 28 of the strongest university towns and cities. The parallels between the hotel sector and student accommodation are striking and I look forward to using my experience to support Unite's ongoing expansion and the development of its brand."

No further details remain to be disclosed, as required under LR 9.6.13R of the listing rules of the UK Listing Authority in relation to Patrick Dempsey.

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For further information, please contact:

The Unite Group plc Sion Ffrancon Public & Corporate Communications Manager Nina Barclay Public & Corporate Communications Executive	Tel: [phone] Tel: [phone]
Bell Pottinger Victoria Geoghegan Nick Lambert Elizabeth Snow	Tel: [phone]

About Unite Students

Unite Students is the UK's leading manager and developer of student accommodation. Unite provides a home for over 46,000 students in 138 purpose built properties across 28 of the UK's strongest university towns and cities.  The Group works in partnership with more than 60 higher education institutions as well as letting rooms directly to students.

Our culturally-diverse customers are at the heart of Unite's business and we aim to provide a home for students which supports their academic and personal success. Unite's properties provide students with high quality, well-located, safe accommodation that is close to university campuses, transport and local amenities. The rent includes a study bedroom, all bills, insurance, 24-hour security, fortnightly kitchen cleans and high speed Wi-Fi throughout our properties.

Founded in 1991 in Bristol, The Unite Group plc is a FTSE250 company listed on the London Stock Exchange, employing over 1,250 people. We are pursuing a sustainable growth strategy designed to make the most of the resilient nature of the student accommodation sector. Our aim is to maintain the strongest brand in the sector and operate the highest quality portfolio through consistent investment in and improvement to the operating platform, highly selective development activity, asset management initiatives and portfolio recycling.

In addition to Unite's wholly owned properties, we are also invested in and operate a small number of specialist funds and joint ventures with institutional investment partners, the largest of which is the £2 billion Unite UK Student Accommodation Fund (USAF).

The Group's charitable trust, the Unite Foundation, provides free student accommodation and a generous annual scholarship to around 125 young people in the UK who aspire to a degree but face the most challenging circumstances.

For more information you can visit Unite's corporate website www.unite-group.co.uk the student site www.unite-students.com or the Unite Foundation site www.unitefoundation.co.uk

 

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