Goldman Sachs-backed modular housebuilder hires Airbus VP

Modular housing firm TopHat has poached one of Airbus’s top digital transformation executives to lead its tech team. Matthew Evans, the plane manufacturer’s vice-president of digital transformation, is to join the Goldman Sachs-backed firm as chief technology officer, as the company looks to use a data-led approach to streamline its production process. A former Lockheed Martin and Siemens executive, Evans is credited with helping to create Skywise, an open data platform that has saved aviation firms billions of pounds a year. Evans said: “By spinning a ‘digital thread’ that links every stage of the manufacturing process from design to assembly, we can make the process more repeatable and certain, create a higher-quality product and minimise waste through the learning and efficiency that this will generate. “Starting with a blank piece of paper, it makes much more sense to build homes in a factory-controlled setting. You wouldn’t build a plane in a field, and the same should be true of new homes.” Goldman Sachs invested £75m into the company in 2019, amid growing investor appetite for new methods of housebuilding. About 243,000 homes were delivered in the UK last year – almost 60,000 short of the government’s 300,000 target. The coronavirus pandemic means it is likely this shortfall will increase even further. Jordan Rosenhaus, chief executive and founder of TopHat, said: “Housebuilding is an industry that needs to embrace technology to improve its energy efficiency, productivity and build quality. “This is also a fantastic opportunity to support the wider growth of the British high-tech manufacturing sector. “The construction industry faces a skills crisis, with many workers set to retire in the next decade and a shortage of young talent coming through the ranks. “A new model of housebuilding will help to solve this skills shortage by bringing people into the industry who wouldn’t otherwise take onsite construction roles.” To send feedback, e-mail alex.daniel@egi.co.uk or tweet @alexmdaniel or @estatesgazette