Ascend Appoints Maxwell Guthrie as Head of Experience and Product

Ascend Properties, one of the UK’s largest third-party operators of institutional build-to-rent homes, has appointed Maxwell Guthrie to the role of Head of Experience & Product.

Maxwell will be continuing the development of the firm’s industry-leading experience strategies and products, collaborating with all departments to ensure a fully integrated offering. His initial focus will be to review Ascend’s market-defining customer experience platform, products and services, leveraging his experience in the serviced accommodation and multi-family sectors.

His arrival follows the recent senior appointments of Paul Borrmann as Managing Director and Lee Hill as Commercial Director, and will further support the expansion of Ascend’s BTR operator capabilities in both single-family and multifamily assets. By bringing together the best of BTR, alongside key aspects of short-stay rentals and corporate serviced accommodation, Ascend continues to create a best-in-class, service-led offering for the BTR market that moves the dial on customer experience.

Maxwell joins from Dandara Living, where he was Product & Experience Manager, leading the customer experience function across six multifamily communities housing over 4,000 residents. He oversaw the national experience framework, engagement, events and communications – including the development of a bespoke app and CRM system – helping Dandara Living to win Top-Rated BTR Community and BTR Operator across the UK at the 2024 HomeViews Awards. Prior to that, he worked with the front of house operational team at Moda Living, where his focus was on technology, communications and processes to improve experience. He also holds valuable experience from his time leading operational teams in the short-stay and corporate serviced accommodation sectors.

Ascend holds mandates for over 7,000 single-family BTR homes nationwide, around two thirds of the entire UK asset class, with its multifamily and buy-to-let portfolio instructions bringing its total units under management to more than 10,000.

Ascend oversees platforms for many of the sector’s leading investors, with clients including PRS REIT plc, TPG Real Estate Partners, Sigma Capital Group, Gatehouse Investment Management and the Kuwait Investment Authority. Investment in proprietary technology and management processes has established Ascend as the foremost operator in single-family BTR, with the firm looking to apply these tools to multifamily assets as it expands its reach into the sector.

Paul Borrmann, Managing Director of Ascend Properties, said: 

Resident experience is a key pillar in driving the value of build-to-rent portfolios, and something that has long been a central part of Ascend’s approach. Maxwell’s expertise in this area will be hugely invaluable for both residents and landlords alike, and his arrival is part of our wider strategy, cementing our position as best-in-class managers of institutional build-to-rent.