Executive team
Meet our executive management team
Rob Boughton
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Rob’s passion for placemaking has driven a career in property and housebuilding that spans almost 30 years. He founded the company in 2003, and his focus on innovation, infrastructure, community and collaboration has positioned Thakeham as an industry leader.
Rob is a champion for meaningful change within the sector. He is a founding member of the HBF’s Future Homes Taskforce and Thakeham was the first housebuilder in the UK to sign the SME Climate Commitment, part of the UN’s Race To Zero Campaign.
As CEO and part-owner, Rob has overall strategic and operational responsibility for the business.
Julian Rooney
Chief Strategy Officer
Julian has over three decades of experience in the property and housebuilding industry. A part-owner of Thakeham, he first joined the business in 2010 and moved into his current role in 2020. Over the course of that period, Thakeham has become one of the leading strategic land promoters and housebuilders in the south of England, and a Sunday Times 100 Best Places to Work employer.
Julian’s focus is the overall strategy of the business. He also led the top-level structural changes and has overseen initiatives, such as the Armed Forces Covenant, that encourage a diverse range of backgrounds and skills into the business.
Tony King
Chief Financial Officer
Tony is the Chief Financial Officer for Thakeham and plays a pivotal role in managing the company’s assets, ensuring financial stability and growth, and reinforcing our commitment to excellence in financial management and strategic planning. He is responsible for all elements of accounting and finance business partnering within the company.
Prior to joining Thakeham in 2021, he gained valuable experience across various industries including integrated transport services, construction, nuclear/chemical sectors, specialist manufacture and material handling industries. Tony is FCCA – Certified Accountant qualified with 27 years post qualification experience within a wide range of finance areas.
Claire MacAleese
Chief Communications Officer
Claire is a member of the Executive Team and the Chief Communications Officer at Thakeham, building a corporate affairs function with responsibility for ESG, communications, marketing & brand, external affairs and social value.
Claire has two decades of experience in communications, corporate affairs and public affairs and is a former UK government special advisor to two Secretaries of State for Transport. With extensive experience managing large teams in the engineering and transport sectors, Claire is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a trustee of the Air League, the largest charity provider of aviation bursaries in the UK. She is Chair of the Communications Group of the Future Homes Hub.
Calum Semark
Chief Operating Officer
As Chief Operating Officer, Calum is responsible for operations across the regions, driving consistent performance and delivery.
Calum has 17 years’ experience within the construction industry, starting out as a carpenter before a change of direction in 2008 took him into site management with the Berkeley Group. He joined Thakeham in 2017, project-managing a large exemplar development. Since then, Calum has taken increasing responsibility for sites in production during a period of business growth.
Jeremy Chapman
Chief Development Officer
Jeremy brings over 30 years of housebuilding sector experience, including over 13 years in senior management roles within the Berkeley Group, focused on infrastructure led developments. He was appointed to the executive team in September 2023 having joined Thakeham as Managing Director – Engineering, Technical & Commercial in May 2022.
Jeremy founded and leads the company’s Project Management Office (PMO), working cross-functionally to streamline processes and identify operational efficiencies. He also oversees the development team and delivery of the strategic land bank for the company.
Steve Tuhey
Group Business Development Director
Steve is a serving Board Member, and a valuable part of the company since 2007. As Managing Director of Thakeham Partnerships, he is responsible for business development and the efficacy of our bidding process.
Steve has spent over 30 years within the construction industry, working for several major players such as Cala Homes, Linden Homes, Regalian, BMP and has contract-managed many major projects ranging from residential housing, commercial, social, and retail schemes.
Barbara Henwood
Non-Executive Director
Barbara is a serving Board Member, and a valuable part of the company since 2018. As Non-Executive Director at Thakeham, she is responsible as part of the board for the success of the company.
Barbara is a retired senior HR Executive who spent 23 years with Warner Bros, global media and entertainment company. As Senior Vice President of International HR she had responsibility for all aspects of Human Resources and organisational development for all businesses in all territories worldwide, with the exception of North America, reporting to the Executive Vice President of Worldwide HR based in Burbank California. She also managed all people aspects of numerous Mergers and Acquisitions, both global and local.
