Lamington Group Appoints a New Board of Directors
The pioneering UK real estate and investment company Lamington Group has announced the establishment of its new Board of Directors, headed up by six distinguished industry leaders…
Lamington Group’s newly appointed Board of Directors is headed up by six industry leaders, including the group’s founders, the Godwin family, and most recently Merzak Kaddour and Robert Ryan. They will be joining the company as Non-Executive Directors alongside Ufi Ibrahim to grow the business to continued success through their strategic advice and support. Together, they bring a wealth of specialist expertise in investment, property, and sustainability.
This year’s winner of the prestigious The Brit List Eco Award 2024, Lamington Group is an independent, family-owned business comprising brands including room2; Lamington Apartments; Lamington Developments; Lamington Lettings and Missionworks. In 2023, the group was proudly awarded a B Corp, honouring its commitment to sustainability. The board will drive this sustainable mission forward and continue the ever-growing success of its innovative brands, including room2 hometels, known for its unique model of offering the convenience of a self-catered apartment with the services and hospitality of a hotel.
The new Non-Executive Directors will bring a unique blend of specialist skills and experience that will enhance the power of the Board of Directors. Merzak Kaddour is a respected hospitality and finance industry professional, known for being one of the co-founders of Locke, and will bring over two decades of experience and deep insights into investment strategies to the table. Robert Ryan on the other hand will offer extensive knowledge in property development and management thanks to his experience in hotels, serviced apartments and offices, whilst Ufi Ibrahim will contribute valuable expertise in sustainability, thanks to her prestigious role as CEO of the Environmental & Energy Alliance (EEA). This trio’s combined proficiency will enhance governance, strengthen strategic decision-making, and foster sustainable growth, bolstering confidence among both internal and external stakeholders.
Image credit: Lamington Group
Lamington Group’s Board of Directors will not only create improved governance and accountability, ensuring the group adheres to industry standards, but also create greater transparency across operations. Through the board members’ industry connections and access to professional networks, the board will play a key role in identifying new opportunities for growth and supporting Lamington Group’s ambitious expansion plans. Following the announcement of room2 York set to open within the city’s castle walls in 2026, Lamington Group also has additional expansion projects in the pipeline, including an innovative sustainable tower hotel set to open in Manchester, which will be the first of its kind, and a number of future announcements across the UK.
Robert Godwin, CEO of Lamington Group commented: “We are thrilled to welcome our new board members, whose collective expertise and vision will be invaluable to drive the company forward into its next chapter of growth.”
room2 is the UK’s first hometel brand, conceived in 2015 by Lamington Group. The brainchild of brothers Robert and Stuart Godwin, former members of the British Olympic Development Sailing team, hometels combine the best elements from Airbnb, serviced apartments and boutique hotels in an offering designed to appeal equally to corporate and leisure guests and those seeking alternative forms of residential accommodation. With innovative features such as 24-hour stays as standard, mattress selection, room2’s highly flexible offer provides kitchens in most rooms and is available from one night to one year.
room2 currently has four operational locations, in Southampton, Hammersmith and room2 Chiswick, which opened in December 2021 marking the world’s first fully whole life net zero hotel. room2 Belfast opened in October 2023. room2 has a further pipeline of live projects across the UK with a Gross Development Value of over £100 million, featuring a mix of wholly owned assets and those pre-leased to room2 by development partners. room2 has signed the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism and is committed to accelerating climate action to cut global tourism emissions. room2’s Southampton and Belfast properties were recently rated as the top hotel in Southampton and Belfast by TripAdvisor thanks to guest reviews.
Main image credit: Lamington Group
