Meet the team

Colin Muller - Muller Property Group Team

Colin Muller

Founder & Chief Executive

Matthew Thomas, Group Managing Director, Muller Property Group

Matthew Thomas

Group Managing Director

Julie Doherty

Julie Doherty

Managing Director - Care

Phillip Johnston - Muller Property Group Team

Phillip Johnston

Operations Director

Rebecca Muller - Muller Property Group Team

Rebecca Muller

Land & Planning Director

Steve Bourne - Muller Property Group Team

Steve Bourne

Technical Director

Jonothon Croft - Muller Property Group Team

Jonothan Croft

Land Director (South)

Michael Lovatt

Michael Lovatt

Land Director (North West)

Max Muller - Muller Property Group Team

Max Muller

Business Development, Communications & Marketing Director

Alistair Banks, Land Manager (Western), Muller Property Group

Alistair Banks

Land Manager (Western)

Alex Loumidis

Alex Loumidis

Land Manager (Midlands)

Sec Chi, Financial Controller, Muller Property Group

Sec Chi

Financial Controller​

Ben Bell, Technical Manager, Muller Property Group

Benjamin Bell

Technical Manager

Paul Emms, Planning Manager, Muller Property Group

Paul Emms MRTPI

Planning Manager

Thomas Dudley, Technical Manager, Muller Property Group

Thomas Dudley

Technical Manager

Join our team!

We are always on the look out for talented and experienced people to join our team.

At Muller, you learn and grow every day, work with passionate people and have a tangible impact on the communities we create.

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Colin Muller - Muller Property Group Team

Colin Muller

Founder & Chief Executive

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Colin Muller founded Muller Property Group in 2001. Colin started his career in a land acquisition role for Wimpey, having graduated with a degree in town planning from the School of Architecture, Town Planning and Estate Management, Oxford. He served as director with responsibility for new land identification and acquisition at Alfred McAlpine Plc before establishing his own business in 1990 at the age of 31. Three years later the business merged with Linden Plc, a venture capital backed start-up, and along with his co-directors, Colin achieved a full market listing in 1996 as a quoted house builder.

By 2000 the business had five operating regions with a turnover of £144m, pre-tax profits of £15.4m and net assets of £52m. It was sold following a management buyout valued at £250 million, after which Colin left and started Muller Property Group. Colin is from a Yorkshire Dales farming family, a background which has fuelled his interest in strategic land promotion and in particular working with farmers and landowners to help them obtain planning for agricultural land.

Passionate about getting results, Colin is experienced at lobbying around the need for new homes and is a champion of sustainable development.

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Matthew Thomas, Group Managing Director, Muller Property Group

Matthew Thomas

Group Managing Director

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Matthew is an accomplished business leader with over 15 years’ experience driving growth and transformation across a range of high-growth SMEs in the property development, infrastructure, renewables, M&E, and SaaS sectors.

As Group Managing Director at Muller Property Group, Matthew is focused on consolidating, structuring, and expanding the company’s core divisions, particularly in strategic land and care as the business enters its next phase of growth.

Recognised for his results-driven approach, Matthew has a proven track record of delivering complex projects, navigating regulatory landscapes, and building strong relationships across both public and private sectors. He has played a key role in scaling businesses, including the successful turnaround and rapid expansion of Warmer Energy Services, which achieved over £20 million in turnover and recognition in the Mazars NW Growth 100, before its strategic exit via private equity.

Matthew’s leadership has been acknowledged through multiple industry awards, including Deloitte UK’s Fast 50, and he brings deep expertise in strategic planning, financial management, stakeholder engagement and operational delivery.

With a sector-neutral skill set and a strong commercial mindset, Matthew is committed to building high-performing teams and delivering sustainable, long-term value across Muller’s expanding portfolio.

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Julie Doherty

Julie Doherty

Managing Director – Care

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Julie joined Muller in March 2023 and has since played a pivotal role in expanding our footprint in the care sector. During this time, the promotion and trading of care development sites has become a key part of our business, and Julie’s leadership has been instrumental in accelerating our presence and reputation in this growing market.

Her early background in sales and marketing included working with leading global brands such as Diageo in Ireland, where she led a number of international campaigns. She then transitioned into the technology sector with Allegro Networks (later part of an IIX company), where she became a trusted advisor to CTOs, selling point-to-point connectivity solutions across the UK.

For the past decade, Julie has worked in the property sector, where she has successfully led sales teams at Vita Student and CitySuites, further sharpening her skills in team leadership, strategic planning, and high-value transactions.

In July 2025, Julie was promoted to Managing Director – Care, and her blend of commercial acumen, strategic vision, and sector-specific experience will continue to drive the growth of our Care portfolio.

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Phillip Johnston - Muller Property Group Team

Phillip Johnston

Operations Director

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Phillip has worked as a finance professional in the construction, housebuilding and property sector for over 35 years. With a BSc (Hons) degree in Mathematics and Management Sciences, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Grant Thornton in 1986. Following an eighteen month secondment to the European Union Commission, Phillip joined Hassall Homes as Finance Director. On the sale of the Hassall Group in 1997, he moved to Linden Homes and commenced his 28-year working relationship with Colin Muller.

In 2002 he joined the Muller Property Group. Here, his role encompasses all areas of the business including land acquisition, the raising of project finance, residential sales, project costing, commercial property lettings, company secretarial administration and legal matters. He also handles a variety of development and planning related issues including S106 agreements, affordable housing provision, viability studies, joint venture agreements and leases for Group properties. Responsible for a number of joint venture arrangements and numerous group companies, Phillip also has management of financial forecasting, budgetary control and cashflow.

 

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Rebecca Muller - Muller Property Group Team

Rebecca Muller

Land & Planning Director

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Rebecca is the youngest daughter of Chief Executive, Colin Muller. She graduated from Oxford Brookes University in June 2016 with an honours degree in Town Planning & Property Development, and joined the business. Her role focuses on identifying land suitable for promotion through a wide range of sources, use of the planning system and meeting landowners. Rebecca is skilled in being able to use the planning system to assess the prospects of land, in interrogating local authority Local Plans and planning permissions and appeals, whilst always considering the timescale and merits of each particular case. She works alongside her father and other members of the land acquisition team, and is the first point of contact for all land inquiries across the regions.

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Steve Bourne - Muller Property Group Team

Steve Bourne

Technical Director

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Steve has worked as a commercial/technical professional in the housebuilding and construction industry for over 35 years. In his first job Steve joined a local housebuilder, where he stayed for 14 years, progressing his way up from Trainee Surveyor through the ranks to Chief Surveyor. He then went on to set up and manage the commercial departments of the newly established north west regions of national housebuilders David Wilson Homes and Bovis Homes, with overall responsibility for land viabilities, surveying and buying.

In 2005, Steve moved to Brighouse Group as Director to set up the new housebuilding function of the business, responsible for the day-to-day running of the company. He was also responsible for sourcing land opportunities, compiling detailed land viabilities, negotiating land purchase agreements and submitting and gaining planning permissions. Steve then spent time in the educational construction industry with Built Offsite Ltd. Here he was responsible for organising and overseeing the modular construction of school extensions, new school buildings and traditionally built sports halls. The company worked nationally and Steve was involved in schemes in Portsmouth, Surrey, Leeds and Hull. He then had the opportunity of going back into the land and planning environment with Muller, and is now responsible for the technical and financial aspects of parcels of land, dealing with external consultants to compile packages for planning applications and land sales.

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Jonothon Croft - Muller Property Group Team

Jonothan Croft

Land Director (South)

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Jonothan has worked as a land professional in the house building and development industry for over 20 years. Graduating with a planning degree and postgraduate diploma in 1993, Jonothan gained initial experience with Ideal Homes in South Wales before moving to Chester and working for North Wales builder David Mclean as Land Manager until 1999.

Jonothan moved to retirement house builder McCarthy Stone in 1999, where he was responsible for land purchase throughout the north west and Shropshire. Following several years specialising in the retirement/care sectors, Jonothan then set up as a property consultant and developer until 2010 when he joined North Wales care home developer Castlemead. During his time with Castlemead, Jonothan was responsible for sourcing and project managing future sites throughout the UK for care home providers on a turnkey basis. Most recently Jonothan has returned to the private retirement sector. In his role at Muller, Jonothan deploys his skills and experience in future acquisitions for short term land opportunities. 

 

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Michael Lovatt

Michael Lovatt

Land Director (North West)

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Preferring the personal approach with landowners, Muller’s Strategic Land Manager Michael Lovatt has deployed his extensive industry knowledge in his role as strategic land manager, where he is responsible for area land management and strategic land acquisition.

Michael has a decade’s-worth of experience in the property and construction industry, having worked in a variety of managerial positions. 

After 22 years of service in the British Army, Michael took on a role of operations manager in the construction sector back in 2010, before becoming director of his family business Lovatt Property in 2012. 

In 2018, he joined communications firm Britannia Towers as its national site manager, where he was responsible for manging transmission sites for the wireless and broadcast industries. After almost three years in the role, Michael joined Muller at the start of 2021, having been attracted by the prospect of working alongside Colin Muller and the exciting prospect of bringing forward strategic sites for development.

Michael counts the challenge of landing a deal and his ability to establish good relationships with a variety of landowners among his favourite aspects of the role. Away from work, Michael likes to cook and spend time with his family.

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Max Muller - Muller Property Group Team

Max Muller

Business Development, Communications & Marketing Director
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As Communications and Marketing Director, Max leads Muller Property Group’s strategic communications, brand development and marketing activity across the business.

With a background in design and creative direction, Max brings over a decade of experience across the retail, events, and property sectors. He began his career in the public sector events space, building and managing in-house creative teams before going on to deliver high-profile campaigns and branded experiences for major global clients including Ballymore, LVMH, Unilever, L’Oréal and Spotify.

Before joining Muller, Max held a senior design leadership role at The Estée Lauder Companies, where he oversaw store design and visual merchandising for brands including Clinique and Dr.Jart+, launching new concepts across leading UK retailers such as Marks & Spencer, Boots, and John Lewis.

Creative, commercially focused, and results-driven, Max brings a collaborative approach to communications and brand strategy, helping to shape and strengthen Muller’s presence within the property sector.

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Alistair Banks, Land Manager (Western), Muller Property Group

Alistair Banks

Land Manager (Western)

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Alistair is a highly experienced land professional with over 23 years in the residential development sector.

He began his career at Henry Boot Homes in Birmingham, before moving to Morris Homes (Midlands). He later joined McCarthy & Stone in York, where he covered the Yorkshire and North East regions, and subsequently returned to housebuilding joining regional developer Harron Homes in Leeds.

Alistair and his Wife moved to the South West in 2013 where he worked for Barratt David Wilson Homes before moving across as Land Director to regionally based LiveWest.

Throughout his career, Alistair has successfully secured both on- and off-market land opportunities, negotiating favourable terms that support sustainable business growth. He has a strong track record of obtaining planning consents that meet both financial and delivery targets. Alistair also has extensive experience in managing complex negotiations, including conflict resolution and mitigation, and has delivered multiple successful joint venture partnerships.

Alistair brings a focused, professional, and results-driven approach to land acquisition and development, underpinned by a deep understanding of planning policy and market dynamics.

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Alex Loumidis

Alex Loumidis

Land Manager (Midlands)

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Alex joined Muller at the start of 2023 as a Graduate, where he rotated within the Planning, Technical and Land Teams, before taking up his position as a Land Manager. 

Alex graduated from Oxford Brookes University in 2022 with First Class BA (Hons) in Planning and Property Development.  Alongside this, Alex has acquired a varied experience of land and property matters, having previously worked in a number of roles within the property industry.  With deep family roots in farming and property, Alex can relate personally with the hard realities, family complexities, and sensitive needs of farmers and landowners.

With this strong foundation, and with the invaluable support and guidance from Colin and the Directors at Muller, now as a Land Manager, Alex has in a short space of time built a successful track record of identifying and appraising land efficiently, before partnering with landowners to bring forward their land for development.   

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Sec Chi, Financial Controller, Muller Property Group

Sec Chi

Financial Controller​

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Sec Chi brings over 25 years of financial leadership experience to Muller Property Group, spanning both practice and industry roles. With a career that includes more than a decade in senior management, Sec has developed deep expertise across the property, construction, healthcare, and wholesale sectors.

Prior to joining Muller, Sec served as Finance Director and Board Member at BCEGI UK, where he oversaw the full spectrum of financial operations. In this role, he worked closely with the board, led a team of accountants, and played a key role in strategic planning and financial governance.

Known for his hands-on approach to problem-solving and business planning, Sec combines technical expertise with commercial acumen. Fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, he is passionate about building robust financial infrastructures that enable sustainable growth.

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Ben Bell, Technical Manager, Muller Property Group

Ben Bell

Technical Manager

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Ben Bell joined Muller Property Group in 2025 as Technical Manager, bringing six years of experience across the energy and sustainable agriculture sectors.

Before joining Muller, Ben was Project Manager at Shockingly Fresh, where he delivered innovative hydroponic vertical farm projects. His earlier career includes roles at Forsa Energy and Land Referencing Services, where he gained expertise in EV infrastructure and Battery Energy Storage Systems. This background has given him strong technical knowledge in managing complex planning applications and ensuring the smooth delivery of technically demanding projects.

At Muller, Ben works closely with our national land team and a wide network of consultants to carry out detailed due diligence, assess potential sites, and support strategic planning. His focus is on identifying viable development opportunities and proactively addressing technical challenges to keep projects on track from the outset.

Ben plays a key role in accelerating project delivery and securing planning permissions across our growing portfolio, which spans residential, healthcare, office, leisure, employment, and retail developments.

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Paul Emms, Planning Manager, Muller Property Group

Paul Emms MRTPI

Planning Manager

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Paul is an experienced planning professional with over 20 years in the industry, specialising in the residential development sector and driven by a passion for both natural and urban environments. Skilled at communicating planning and development strategy to stakeholders at every level, Paul combines analytical insight with a practical, results-focused approach.
 
His career spans consultancy, developer, and in-house planning roles, with expertise covering strategic housing land, industrial sites, care home development, mixed-use schemes, and heritage-led projects. He has successfully managed complex planning applications, appeals, and policy representations, and has advised on site promotion and land acquisition strategies for some of the sector’s most significant projects.
 
Paul previously worked at Muller as Planning & Land Manager and now returns after broadening his expertise delivering independent consultancy work through Embassy Planning. His past roles include senior positions at Gladman, Harrow Estates, McLoughlin Planning, and Urban Vision.
 
A Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, Paul brings strong research, report writing, and organisational skills to every project, alongside the diplomacy and communication needed to navigate the planning process effectively. 
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Thomas Dudley, Technical Manager, Muller Property Group

Thomas Dudley

Technical Manager

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Thomas joined Muller Property Group in 2025 as Technical Manager. He brings extensive experience in land referencing and infrastructure projects, having previously delivered nationally significant schemes with Ardent Management Limited, including East West Rail and the South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO).

Prior to this, Thomas worked at Carter Jonas LLP as a Land Referencer, where he gained in-depth knowledge of compulsory purchase, development consent, and transport works processes, covering the full lifecycle of CPO, DCO, and TWAO projects. His career began at the Environment Agency, where he worked as an Environmental Officer, overseeing site inspections, risk assessments, and government-funded initiatives focused on hazardous waste management across Staffordshire.

At Muller, Thomas is part of our technical team, supporting the management of planning applications from submission through to determination.