Barratt Redrow appoints former British Airways finance chief as CFO

Barratt Redrow has turned to Rebecca Napier, the former finance chief of British Airways, to steady its finance function as Britain’s biggest homebuilder works through weaker buyer demand, rising construction costs and the complex integration of Redrow. Napier will join on August 3 as chief financial officer and executive director, ending a seven-month stretch of interim finance arrangements after Mike Scott stepped down in November 2025.

The appointment points to more than a simple personnel change. Napier most recently served as CFO of Britvic PLC until Carlsberg Group bought the drinks maker in 2025, and she spent 17 years at International Consolidated Airlines Group, including as CFO of British Airways. That background suggests Barratt Redrow wants a finance leader with experience in large, operationally demanding businesses where margins, capital allocation and restructuring discipline matter as much as growth.

Chair Caroline Silver said Napier brings the ability to lead through complexity, change and challenging markets. That is an apt description of Barratt Redrow’s current challenge. The group is still digesting the Barratt Developments and Redrow combination, while managing affordability pressures across the UK housing market, including softer conditions in London and a tougher backdrop for mortgage demand.

The numbers explain why investors will watch Napier closely. Barratt Redrow completed 16,565 homes in FY25, generated net cash of £772m and had £700m of undrawn revolving credit facility capacity. Its forward order book stood at £2.92bn, equivalent to 9,835 homes, while the average selling price was £344,000 and private average selling prices were around £380,000. For FY26, the company is guiding to completions of 17,200 to 17,800 homes, including about 600 joint-venture homes.

The company has also said the Redrow integration is ahead of plan, with nine divisional offices closed and a unified operating structure in place. It expects more than £100m in cost synergies from the combination, with £69m already identified, and has reiterated a medium-term target of 22,000 homes a year. Those targets make the CFO role central not just to control, but to execution.

Barratt Redrow’s strategic priorities underline that pressure. The group wants a best-in-class customer offering, stronger operational efficiency through differentiated brands and more effective use of capital to drive growth. Napier arrives with the balance sheet still strong, but with the business being asked to convert merger savings and operating discipline into a clearer post-deal identity.