Retirement villages operator Inspired Villages has appointed Louise Read as legal counsel and Tajinder Samra as head of tax, both of which are new roles for the company.

Read has 16 years of real estate legal experience and joins the company from law firm Browne Jacobson. She was also a part-time law lecturer at Nottingham Trent and Nottingham Law School.

Read said: “I wanted to take my career in a new direction and use the skills I gained in private practice to focus on work with a more obvious social impact. Inspired Villages appealed to me because of the way the company supports older people in society; I was particularly impressed by the way they kept residents safe but not isolated during lockdown.”

Samra will lead the tax function within the business, advising on corporate tax matters, managing VAT affairs and overseeing other tax-related projects within the business. She is a chartered accountant and chartered tax advisor, who joins Inspired Villages from High Speed Two, where he led on tax matters for the largest infrastructure project in Europe. Samra has 10 years of corporate tax experience and has also held roles at KPMG and PwC.

Samra said: “In my career I’ve always particularly enjoyed working at companies that work to improve infrastructure, so I’m pleased to be joining Inspired Villages, which delivers vital age-appropriate accommodation for older people. I look forward to bringing my many years of experience as a corporate tax specialist to this role and supporting the company in its ambitions.”

Jamie Bunce, chief executive of Inspired Villages, added: “At Inspired Villages we are driving towards becoming the world’s leading retirement villages operator and we know that we can only succeed in that aim by nurturing the best talent. I’m therefore thrilled to welcome Louise and Taj to the company. They both bring a wealth of experience to their respective roles that will enhance the way we work and help us deliver retirement communities that allow older people to live the best years of their lives with us.”