- Nick Sanderson, Founder and CEO of Audley Retirement, elected as new Chair of ARCO (the Associated Retirement Community Operators)
- Bank Leumi (UK) sponsor the annual ARCO member event, showcasing their commitment to the retirement community sector.
At their AGM on 12 October 2017, ARCO members unanimously elected Nick Sanderson, founder and CEO of Audley Retirement Villages, as Chair of the ARCO Board of Directors.
Nick has spent the past 30 years growing and developing Audley into a successful company providing high quality, luxury retirement villages across the UK, and is now spearheading the company’s expansion into the middle market under their new Mayfield brand.
As a founding member of ARCO, Nick has a strong commitment to ensuring that the sector is ahead of the curve in providing the highest standards of service to their residents. Jane Ashcroft, Chief Executive of Anchor, was unanimously re-elected as ARCO’s Vice-Chair.
Nick took over the role of Chair from Richard Davis, the former Chief Executive of LifeCare Residences, who took up a new role in his native country of New Zealand earlier in the year after successfully spearheading the development of London’s first retirement village, Battersea Place.
The event, kindly sponsored by Bank Leumi (UK), also provided a forum for ARCO Board members and select guests to discuss the future of the housing-with-care sector, which has seen a flurry of new entrants in recent months.
The AGM and Board Meeting was hosted by ARCO Patron Baroness Sally Greengross, and took place at Bankhouse, a One Housing ‘Season’ retirement community in central London. The newly opened mixed-tenure scheme features 84 shared-ownership and socially rented retirement living apartments in the London Borough of Lambeth. The development has 14 storeys, and includes a restaurant, bar, lounge, on-site domiciliary care service, wellbeing spa, roof terrace with breath-taking views over the London skyline, and will soon include a floating garden for the enjoyment of its’ residents.
In the evening, the retirement community sector movers and shakers debated the future of housing-with-care at the annual ARCO Assembly event, which featured a lively presentation from ARCO Executive Director, Michael Voges, and spirited group discussion. The day concluded with a drinks reception and a three-course meal, which provided a chance for attendees to network, and celebrate ARCO’s achievements.
Nick Sanderson, CEO of Audley and newly elected Chair of ARCO, said: “ARCO has championed the approach of providing retirement housing combined with care and additional facilities, and its members set the standard for the industry. Audley, as a founder member, has been involved since the start, so I am thrilled to have been elected Chair as the organisation continues to grow its influence.
“The retirement housing sector is today faced with an unprecedented opportunity, although one not without its challenges. I look forward to working with the ARCO team and all members to increase the supply of retirement communities that meet the housing and care needs of our ageing population.”
Richard Martin, Relationship Manager at Bank Leumi (UK), said: “Bank Leumi (UK) has been providing finance to support ARCO members developing retirement communities for more than five years, during which time we have seen the sector firmly establish itself as a distinct category of its own. As a relationship focussed bank, Bank Leumi looks forward to working with ARCO members over the coming years to create funding solutions that will assist in unlocking the sector’s full potential.”