Anchor Hanover Group has announced the appointment of Sarah Jones as chief executive from 1 August 2022, following Jane Ashcroft’s decision to step down from the role at the not-for-profit provider of housing and care for older people. 

Jones, currently Anchor’s chief financial officer, has been a member of the Anchor Board since 1 April 2020.

Jones said: “I am delighted to be taking up the baton from Jane and look forward to maintaining Anchor’s focus on providing more and better homes. I am eager to ensure the organisation continues to evolve to meet the needs and expectations of the older people of today and tomorrow and I also want to build on our influence in this socially vital debate with government and other stakeholders.”

Anchor chairman Christopher Kemball said: “Jane has been a truly outstanding leader for the organisation, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. The board and I extend our deep-felt thanks to her for such an inspirational and dedicated contribution to Anchor and the residents we serve. We conducted a thorough and comprehensive search for Jane’s successor using external consultants and are delighted that Sarah will be taking over as chief executive. I am looking forward very much to working with her in her new role.”

As chief financial officer, Jones has been accountable for ensuring that Anchor is a sustainable organisation with the financial resources needed to meet our commitments to existing customers, deliver value for money to all stakeholders, finance the development of new services and approaches, and manage risk and procurement. In 2021 Jones led the landmark refinancing of the organisation, delivering £650m of sustainability-linked financing by way of the sector’s first fully unsecured banking portfolio and Anchor’s debut public bond listing.

Jones joined Anchor as finance director in September 2014 from leading office supplies distributors Spicers Ltd, where she was chief financial officer. Jones, a chartered management accountant, has held a variety of senior finance roles across large corporate and private equity businesses, including being the director of finance in the UK & Republic of Ireland at Carpetright Plc and senior roles at HMV and The Burton Group/Arcadia. She holds an MSc in Strategic Management Accounting. 

Jones is a trustee of Arthritis Action, a UK charity helping people with arthritis improve their quality of life, and a Board Member of CHP, a charitable housing association based in Essex.

Ashcroft has held senior roles at Anchor for more than 20 years, including 12 as chief executive. She was made a CBE in 2013 for services to older people and has undertaken sector roles including chair of Care England, founding director and vice-chair of ARCO, and vice-chair of the National Housing Federation.

Ashcroft said: “It has been an enormous honour to lead Anchor and my decision was not an easy one.

“We’re focussed on creating more and better homes where people can love living in later life. In recent years we have invested in our existing properties, grown through mergers and acquisitions, issued our first sustainability bond and built a significant pipeline for further developments.

“Anchor has always innovated to ensure services meet the changing needs of older people and I am sure that will continue to be the case.

“I am particularly proud of how colleagues across the organisation have supported residents through challenges and supported them to love living in later life. The achievements of the past few years mean I feel the time is right for me to move on. I am looking forward to building a non-executive portfolio as the next stage of my career.”