THE Howard Group in Regent Street, Cambridge, has strengthened its board with the appointment of Patrick Bushnell of Saffron Walden as a non-executive director.

THE Howard Group in Regent Street, Cambridge, has strengthened its board with the appointment of Patrick Bushnell of Saffron Walden as a non-executive director.

The appointment follows the arrival of a new group finance director, Tom Amies, who joined the company at the start of the year.

These latest appointments demonstrate that the Howard Group is confident about the long term direction of its business and is ready to meet the challenges of 2009 with a strong and experienced team.

Patrick Bushnell has enjoyed a very distinguished career in the commercial property world and was most recently the European Director of Property Investment at Henderson Global Investors. He is also involved as a consultant to a number of property investment funds both in the UK and overseas. He has a wide and detailed experience of property investment, development, tax and fund structures.

Patrick knows the area well, having originally come from Cambridge and having been educated at the Leys School.

He lives near Saffron Walden and is a Fellow of the RICS and a member of the Investment Property Forum.

Howard Group chairman Martin Riley said: “We are very pleased to welcome Patrick to the Howard Board. There is little doubt that 2009 will be a testing year, bringing with it some intriguing challenges and some exceptional opportunities. Patrick's appointment comes at a very important time with significant change and uncertainty within the property sector. We are greatly looking forward to gaining from his vast commercial experience.”

This latest appointment brings the number of non-executive directors on the Howard Group Board to four.