Development and operation of a portfolio of assisted living retirement developments with contemporary apartments and well thought- through facilities available to rent, in south east England.Birchgrove is a business that has been established by Bridges Fund Management. Bridges invests its capital to generate societal benefits including helping to solve societal challenges, such as those posed by our ageing population.

Appin Associates provides consulting services to ventures operating in or looking to enter the retirement housing sector.Assignment recently completed with Bridges Fund Management on the creation of Birchgrove Holding LLP, a new entrant developing and operating assisted living retirement accommodation in south east England.Currently working with a start-up operation in the Midlands to create a new retirement living proposition.

McCarthy & Stone is the leading developer of privately owned retirement property for independent living in the UK, opening its 1,000th development in 2013. It is one of the UK’s top house builders, employing c.950 people, and, in 2013, delivered turnover of £311m and EBITDA of £46m.M&S is renowned for its two very successful forms of accommodation - Retirement Living and Assisted Living. A third concept was developed in 2013 to deliver less age-defined living choices for the ‘baby-boomer’ generation now reaching retirement age, under a new brand of Ortus Homes, which will be an area of considerable growth. Construction of the first Ortus Homes development commenced in 2013 and there are currently 22 sites in development.My primary objective was to devise a plan to modernise the business with a particular focus on the changing needs of the consumer and, in the process, achieve a restructuring of the debt and shareholder positions; all of which were achieved.Key achievements:• Development of a comprehensive Value Creation Plan approved by the major shareholders to generate significant long term value.• Articulation of the Plan resulted in trading of the Company’s debt moving from c.70p per pound of debt to c.£1.30 per pound in advance of a refinancing.• Successful £527m refinancing allowing bank shareholders to exit and putting the business in a strong financial position.• In the year to August 2013, delivery of: o 11% uplift in apartment sales to 1,527 (2012: 1,370). o 21% growth in revenue to £311m (2012: £258m). o 15% growth in EBITDA to a 5-year high of £46m (2012: £40m).• Implemented plans, and with performance on track, to exceed the budgeted turnover of £380m and EBITDA of £60m for the year to August 2014, including: o apartment sales up 50% (as at 10 January 2014). o acquisition of 25 development sites (as at 10 January 2014) (budget of 19).• Development and launch of the Ortus Homes sub-brand.

Arena owned and operated 7 racecourses, staging 25% of UK horseracing. Arena owned, jointly with Sky, At The Races, a media rights broadcast and distribution company. It had a market capitalisation of £165m and turnover of £65m (2011; £80m budgeted in 2012).As CEO, value maximising strategies focussed on: • growing the customer base;• improving customer experience through superior services and facilities;• maximising the value of media rights internationally and in the UK;• investment in earnings enhancing opportunities that complemented existing activities;• realisation of value from property assets.Following a strategic review of options to increase shareholder value, the sale of Arena completed in March 2012. Key achievements:• Re-evaluation and communication of a focussed strategy resulting in the share price doubling over 18 months from date of joining.• Negotiation of the transformational sale of Arena’s media rights for £106m, an increase of 93%, generating additional profits of £10m pa.• Creation of a catering business to service Arena’s racecourses to improve customer experience and bottom line profitability. • Successful tender for, and negotiation of, a contract for the provision of catering services at 2 Olympic 2012 venues.• Consistent generation of industry-leading attendance growth numbers.• Development of a 4*Marriott hotel & spa at Lingfield Park.• Acquisition and £35m redevelopment of Doncaster Racecourse.• Negotiation for the inclusion of Folkestone Racecourse as a strategic site in the Local Development Framework, zoned to allow 820 houses.• Receipt of planning permission for a 4*hotel in Doncaster and a hotel, casino and leisure club in Wolverhampton. Council awarded a new ‘small’ casino licence.• Led a strategic review of options to increase shareholder value and negotiated the sale of Arena at a price 52% above the previous 6-month average and 160% above the recession driven low, realising significant value for shareholders.

A joint venture media rights holding company between BSkyB and Arena Leisure plc specialising in the satellite and online broadcast of UK and Irish horse-racing both in the British Isles and internationally.

Owner of the international media rights to all UK and Irish horseracing, broadcasting these around the world.

Doncaster is one of the pre-eminent racecourses in the UK, with the world renowned St Leger having been staged there since 1776.In 2007 the racecourse re-opened to wide acclaim following a £35m redevelopment.The Company was a joint venture between Arena Leisure plc and Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC) and the board consisted of representatives of Arena and DMBC, including a local Member of Parliament who was also Joint Chair of the Parliamentary All Party Racing Group.Implemented all governance procedures to ensure the success of the joint venture and the £35m redevelopment.

The trade organisation representing the interests of fifty-nine racecourses in Britain to Government and the wider racing industry.

Wembley plc went through many stages: acquisitive construction of a leisure conglomerate; period of consolidation; contentious disposal of the prime asset (Wembley Stadium); and, following an extensive strategic review, its re-invention through the implementation of a focused growth strategy involving its gaming assets. Extensive experience of the leisure industry gained, together with experience of major, complex corporate transactions. Experience of major sporting and entertainment venues principally gained from the ownership and management of Wembley Stadium, Wembley Arena and Wembley Conference and Exhibition Centre and from the ownership of Keith Prowse Hospitality, the provider of industry leading corporate hospitality services at a range of prestigious UK events. In its final form, following a major strategic review, Wembley was an international track-based gaming business operating in the UK and USA. A US track operated 3,000 gaming machines and, from a loss making operation, grew into a business where gross game-play grew from zero to over $1bn pa and which, in 2004, generated profit of $57m. Improvements arose from a customer focused approach and, in the US, the expansion of ancillary gaming opportunities.Value was maximised through the sale of the UK greyhound business for £50m and the sale of the US business for $460m. Operating profit in 2004 was £33m (turnover £95m) and, on a like-for like basis, was set to be significantly exceeded in 2005. Following a further strategic review, an exit realised value in excess of £9 per share for shareholders, compared to a share price on joining the board of c.£3.