Holt will remain chairman of the company he has presided over the since flotation in 1996. During this time Mears has grown from revenues of £12m to £470m

Miles, 44, has been Chief Operating Officer and a board member of Mears Group PLC since January 2007. Prior to this he held a number of senior positions within the Group since joining in May 1996.

He has been instrumental in the growth and development of Mears and has been selected after a rigorous process of succession planning which has involved discussions with major shareholders and customers.

Holt said: “I am delighted to be handing the business to David in such good health.

“I know David’s impressive track record with clients, tenants and investors, his knowledge of our markets and his skills, strategic thinking and experience will be of ongoing benefit to Mears.

“I have every confidence that David and his strong and stable team, together with Andrew Smith (Finance Director) and Alan Long (Development Director) will build on the progress made to date and continue with our ambitions to grow shareholder value.  I look forward to working with him in our new roles to ensure a continued seamless transition.”

Miles said: “I am delighted to have been selected to lead Mears Group PLC at such an exciting time in the Group’s history.  We have consolidated our market leading position in the highly fragmented social housing and domiciliary care markets and are now well positioned to achieve further expansion and take advantage of the current opportunities and market conditions.”