Ascend Recruits New Head of Asset Management

• UK’s largest third-party operator of SFR appoints Alie Horton to lead
  best-in-class asset management team
• New arrival to further develop firm’s management platform to drive performance across mandates for over 9,000 SFR homes

Ascend – the UK’s largest third-party operator of single-family rental (SFR) homes, overseeing two thirds of the entire asset class – has further strengthened its market-leading team with the recruitment of Alie Horton as its new Head of Asset Management.

Alie will be leading Ascend’s team of build-to-rent (BTR) portfolio managers, further developing the firm’s best-in-class management platform to maximise opportunities and drive performance across its mandates. She will work closely with Ascend’s institutional investor clients to deliver operational excellence and value within the SFR platforms it oversees. As part of her role, she will help develop portfolio strategies tailored to the goals of each site and platform.

Alie joins Ascend with more than 20 years’ experience of residential property, with specific expertise in managing operational performance, and formerly held senior positions at firms including CBRE and JLL.

Ascend holds mandates for over 9,000 SFR homes nationwide, representing 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 10,500. Ascend manages platforms for many of the sector’s leading names, with clients including TPG Real Estate Partners, The PRS REIT, Sigma Capital Group, Carlyle, GREYKITE and Gatehouse Investment Management. It recently launched Ascend Living, a new ‘white label’, resident-facing brand providing investors with a turnkey operational identity for BTR portfolios.

Alie’s arrival follows the recent recruitment of Clair Barry as Head of Mobilisation, working closely with investor partners to develop tailored delivery and leasing strategies for new homes and schemes being onboarded. Ascend has a significant pipeline through its existing management mandates, with more than 1,500 homes due to be onboarded by the end of 2025.

Adam Stephenson, Operations Director at Ascend, said: 

Our market-leading asset management capabilities sit at the very heart of what we do, and drive the performance of the platforms we oversee. We have made considerable investments not only in technology, but also in recruiting people that have an unrivalled understanding of just what is required to succeed with such assets. Alie’s experience and expertise will further strengthen our best-in-class team, and help us deliver even better outcomes across these portfolios