McCarthy Stone, a developer and manager of retirement communities, has appointed Shane Paull as its chief operating officer, effective 3 April, reporting to the group’s chief executive, John Tonkiss.

Paull will be responsible for McCarthy Stone’s strategic development functions, including land, planning, build, construction and health and safety, as well as group sales and marketing. He will and will continue as a member of McCarthy Stone’s executive committee, supporting the company’s four DMDs.

Paull has 23 years’ experience joined McCarthy Stone in 2000 and becoming land director in its Southern division in 2006 and then divisional managing director (DMD) for Southern in 2012, a position he has held for the past 11 years. Paull has been responsible for the development of more than 100 retirement communities during his time as DMD.

Tonkiss said: “[Paull] is hugely respected across the organisation and the sector, and his experience of developing high-quality retirement communities is second to none. Shane will play a key role in driving growth in the business to move us back to building and completing 2,000 units a year.”

Paull added: “I am a passionate believer in the ability of retirement communities to improve the lives of older people, having seen this first hand for the past 23 years. I will use my experience at McCarthy Stone to continue to develop our product and its quality so it can support many more people in the future. My focus will be on helping us to innovate, drive consistency, control build costs, and develop our brand and proposition.”