SGS appoints Unite director as chief executive

SGS Group, the owner of the former intu shopping centres Lakeside, atria Watford, Victoria Centre (Nottingham) and Braehead, has appointed Claire Barber as its new chief executive. Barber takes up the role on 30 September and joins from student accommodation developer Unite Students, where she was group asset management director. Prior to Unite, she spent three years as director of asset management at Cadogan Estates and 13 years as head of retail asset management at British Land. Barber’s appointment comes in the wake of SGS Group’s recapitalisation earlier this year, which included £445m of new debt from Lloyds Bank, securing the long-term capital structure of the group’s four prime assets. Jaap Tonckens, non-executive chairman of SGS Group, said Barber brought “the perfect blend of sector knowledge and experience to oversee the next phase of SGS’ journey – this is an exciting time for the business and we are delighted to have her on board”. Barber said she was looking forward to joining the business at “such a pivotal moment”. She added: “Together with the newly appointed board, I look forward to continuing to build on SGS’s strong operational and financial performance and to strengthen our partnerships with retailers and local communities to deliver exciting places for our customers to shop and enjoy leisure time.”