Graven Hill Village Development Company (GHVDC) has appointed Phillip Kassiram as its new Director of Finance and Governance.
The appointment comes at the same time as interim GHVDC Managing Director Adrian Unitt is confirmed, with immediate effect, as the permanent replacement for Karen Curtin who left the role in 2023.
Phillip joins Graven Hill as a chartered accountant with more than 30 years’ finance experience. Having graduated from Imperial College London, his diverse career started in audit before moving into investment banking. More recently, he specialised in the housing sector and now brings further invaluable experience from a 5-Star housebuilder to the Graven Hill management board.
Phillip said: “I am very excited to be joining the team at Graven Hill, partnering with equally passionate, talented and customer-focused colleagues to deliver what has already become a visually stunning and unique space, where people and their families can enjoy the unique design of their homes in a growing community.
“I am fully committed to playing my part to ensure this exciting project comes to life. I genuinely believe what we are creating at Graven Hill will serve as a catalyst for similar styled developments across the country, and all of our stakeholders can feel a sense of pride that we played some part in that.”
GHVDC Managing Director Adrian Unitt, said: “We are delighted to welcome Phillip with his wealth of experience to the Graven Hill Board. He will play a vital role in helping us to realise our ambitions for the site, and his extensive knowledge of the housing sector will ensure we are best placed to continue delivering a wide range of sustainable housing choices for the Bicester community.”
As the UK’s largest development of self-build and custom homes, Graven Hill is a pioneering scheme that encompasses 188 hectares of former Ministry of Defence land on the outskirts of Bicester in Oxfordshire.
With more than 540 homes already occupied on site, resident enjoy extensive green spaces, woodlands, walkways and cycle paths as an integral part of the development’s sustainable credentials. More recently the new primary school welcomed is first cohort of students, and within the village centre a dentist, coffee bar, wine shop and cocktail bar opened. Other retail spaces and a community centre are also planned.