Persimmon appoints bank expert to board

21st Dec 2009 13:32

Housebuilder Persimmon has acquired the services of banking expert and serial non-executive director Jonathan Davie.The 63-year-old, formerly vice chairman of Credit Suisse, boss of BZW Global Equities and non-executive director of Credit Suisse UK Private Bank, will start on 1 January.Davie is currently chairman of financial spread-betting firm IG Group, non-executive director of Portland Gas and chairman of First Avenue Partners, 'We are delighted to welcome Jonathan to the board,' said Persimmon chairman John White. 'He has a wealth of experience and expertise, both in the banking industry and as a non-executive director of plcs, which will be of great benefit to Persimmon as we continue to develop our business.'Last month, the company said it has started to buy sizeable parcels of land again as sales have recovered to the point where it is fully sold this year, while orders for 2010 are up 50%. Trading activity levels since August have continued ahead of last year and the buiilder expects to legally complete 9,000 homes in 2009. It remains concerned about the potential impact of any significant increase in unemployment, but overall trading has improved.