Former L&G modular boss takes up newly created role at Wates

The former boss of Legal & General’s modular homes business is joining Wates in a newly created role of chief supply chain and quality officer.

Rosie Toogood was brought in from Rolls Royce to run L&G’s offsite operation in 2017 but the business last year said it was pulling the plug on production at its timber-frame modular housing factory near Selby in North Yorkshire after making millions of pounds of losses.

She starts work at Wates next Monday and will sit on the group’s executive committee, reporting to chief executive Eoghan O’Lionaird.

He said: “We are committed to driving the highest standards of quality in everything we do. [Rosie’s] experience will be invaluable as we continue to work across the whole company and with our supply chain to deliver the very best for our customers.”

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L&G had promised to build 3,500 homes a year from its plant in Sherburn-in-Elmet but the firm made close to £300m in losses on the initiative.

Its last set of accounts show it posted a pre-tax loss of more than £120m in 2022, the company has said in its latest accounts, which came on top of previous combined £174m of losses in the seven years since it was founded.

Last May, L&G said it was closing the factory because it had “not been able to secure the necessary scale of pipeline” to make the business a success and is currently winding down the operation.