Mr Fairburn, aged 45, now has responsibility for group operational functions and management of the strategic land portfolio. He also remains chief executive of the company’s north division.
He has been with the company since 1989 and on the board since June 2009.
Group chief executive Mike Farley said: "Jeff has been with Persimmon for over 20 years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this important newly created role. I'm confident that he will bring even greater focus to the key areas of strategic land and operational efficiency that are vital to the group's continued success."
Persimmon has also appointed Mark Preston, 43-year-old group chief executive of Grosvenor Group, as a non-executive director.
In a trading statement to the stock exchange this morning, Persimmon has also indicated that its pre-tax profit for the year to 31December 2011 will be at the top end of analysts’ expectations, or around £148m. This represents a 50% increase on 2010, thanks to a reduction in net finance costs, improved cost control and improved underlying profitability. Total revenues were £1.53bn.
In anticipation of an active spring 2012 selling season, Persimmon has opened approximately 25 new sites in the last quarter of 2011 and, subject to market conditions, expects to open a further 60 or so new developments by June 2012, to maintain the active site network at around 390 sites through the next six months.
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