Former Land Securities GC Adrian De Souza (pictured) has joined student accommodation company Vero Group as interim general counsel and company secretary.

De Souza moved into the new role in February after serving his 12-month notice period at Land Securities, which ended in October 2015.

Vero was formed in January 2016 when medical research charity Wellcome Trust's student accommodation arm iQ merged with Prodigy Living, owned by Goldman Sachs and real estate manager Greystar.

With 54 student accommodation sites across the UK and 23,500 beds, Vero is now the second biggest student accommodation provider in the UK after FTSE 250 company, Unite.

Before De Souza's five year stint at Land Securities he worked at the drinks manufacturer SAB Miller, first as senior counsel for corporate and commercial before becoming head of legal for over two years.

He trained at Lovells before becoming a senior associate at magic circle firm Clifford Chance.

In 2010, De Souza was appointed as Land Securities first ever general counsel and company secretary. During his time there, he helped to cut the firm's property roster of more than 100 firms. The company has now changed its roster and has seen Pinsent Masons join the panel.

Tim Ashby has taken over as Land Securities group general counsel and company secretary after moving from the same role at Mothercare.