<p>Colin Lewis, former ceo of Avant Homes, has retired from the business.</p> <p>Last month the housebuilder was acquired by Yorkshire-based developer Berkeley DeVeer, supported by Elliott Advisors, an affiliate of fund manager Elliott Investment Management.</p> <p>At the time it was announced that Lewis would remain as non-executive deputy chairman having stated his intention in December to retire as Avant’s ceo at the end of April, with Mark Mitchell, Avant’s former chief operating officer, succeeding him on May 1. Ex-Persimmon boss Jeff Fairburn, Berkeley’s DeVeer’s former ceo, is now Avant’s chairman.</p> <p>In a statement, Avant said: “In line with the succession plan introduced in 2019, Colin Lewis stood down as ceo of Avant Homes at the end of April 2021 and was succeeded by COO, Mark Mitchell. Following the acquisition of the group by Berkeley DeVeer and Elliott Advisors, Colin has subsequently decided to retire from the business. We wish him well in his retirement.”</p>