People
Rupert Corney is CEO of SDR Group, having formed the business in 2018 as an emergency housing business (now SDR Living). He has overseen the development of the group into social care sectors (SDR Care).
Rupert is very focused on maintaining the Group’s strong ethical values and ensuring that SDR maintains our supportive culture throughout our ambitious growth plan.
Rupert has a background in Real Estate. He trained as a Chartered Surveyor in West Sussex before joining global advisory firm Cushman & Wakefield in 2007. He became a Partner at Cushmans specialising in providing development and strategic advice to public authorities and global occupiers. In 2016 he left London to pursue his own business concepts.
Away from his desk, Rupert can be found hill running, playing village cricket, and increasingly taxiing around his young family.
BackMark Ansell is the COO at SDR Group, having joined in 2018. Before joining SDR, Mark worked at Saxon Weald Homes and Raven Housing Trust, bringing over 25 years of experience in the social housing sector.
At SDR Group, Mark is responsible for overseeing general operations, ICT, and HR. He has successfully delivered numerous process and technology-led improvements to make staff members' jobs more efficient and effective, allowing them to concentrate on supporting service users. He is dedicated to developing a people strategy that fosters a happy, engaged, and high-achieving workforce. This strategy includes values-based recruitment, recognition programs, and cultivating a supportive culture. His professional philosophy is rooted in the belief that a motivated and well-supported team is the key to delivering exceptional service and making a positive impact on the lives of SDR Group's service users and communities.
In his free time, Mark enjoys being an active member of the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club along with his three daughters. He coaches children and adults in water safety, beach lifeguarding and the sport of surf lifesaving, in which he also competes.
BackDonna Wellman joined SDR in September 2020, originally to be the registered manager of our three services in Eastbourne. She has since developed her role and is now Head of Care for the Group..
Donna has worked in the social care sector for over twenty years. She has a keen interest in autism and is passionate about individuals receiving the right support to enable them to develop and live life to the full.
Donna is excited about being part of the future growth of the company and developing new services.
In her spare time, Donna enjoys spending time with her family and grandchildren, walking her dog and going on holiday (when she can)!
BackRobert Crossan is the Director at SDR Group, joining the business in 2021. Rob is a chartered surveyor with a background of working for various local authorities across Sussex; including Brighton and Hove City Council and most recently as Head of Estates and Investment for Adur and Worthing Councils with over £400m of property under his management. Rob has implemented new asset management plans, led on acquisitions of over £100m of investment property as well as disposal programmes and larger regeneration schemes.
Rob’s focus is to further develop the business of both SDR Living and SDR Care in both the public and private sectors and is always on the lookout for opportunities to collaborate with partners. Rob has a passion for working to find property solutions as SDR seeks to be market leaders in the provision of care and accommodation services.
Rob has two young children, but enjoys escaping for peace and quiet on his paddleboard (sometimes with his 4 year old on the front!), watching the Formula 1 and visiting family in Cornwall.
BackOur Businesses
SDR Care is our Social Care division which operates residential care services for adults with learning difficulties in 6 locations through subsidiaries In Chorus in Hampshire and Autism & Aspergers Support in East Sussex.
Read MoreSDR Living is the leading provider of emergency accommodation for Local Authorities across East Sussex.
Read MoreValues
Kindness, Dignity & Respect
Integral to the culture of our Company; treat people with kindness, dignity, and respect then our work will be rewarding and fulfilling.
Calmness
Every decision we make is better when made with a calm and composed approach; calmness helps us to manage the challenges and demands we face.
Creativity
Embrace creativity to find innovative solutions in our work.
Responsibility
Take responsibility for our own actions, attitude, impact, and career development.
ESG
We treat everyone fairly and equally
We aim to create a positive working environment that allows everyone to perform to their best. Health and well-being is our top priority.
Our staff care for and respect our residents and clients alike and our positive environment seeks to enhance the lives and the work of those around us. We seek to deliver excellent value for our clients and homes that exceed all government requirements.
We insist that our partners have a rigorous health and safety policy and we listen to the ideas of everyone who is involved in our projects.
We recognise that our investments exist within communities and we try hard to ensure that we respect the sensitivities and rights of our neighbours.
We are responsible for the impact that our business has on the environment that we live in. Sustainability is therefore a core part of all of our business decisions.
We provide an open, honest and fair working environment and it is of utmost importance to us to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders.
Clients
