New NAEA and ARLA Propertymark presidents appointed

Industry trade bodies NAEA and ARLA Propertymark have announced the appointment of their new presidents.

At an AGM on Friday, Katie Griffin was appointed president of NAEA Propertymark, while Sally Lawson took over as ARLA Propertymark president.

Griffin and Lawson take over from Peter Savage and Nik Madan respectively.

The new NAEA Propertymark president is director of Sawdye & Harris, an award-winning agency based in Devon.

She is a qualified chartered surveyor and has also worked for a global property consultancy in London.

Griffin also sits on the National Advisory Group for The Guild of Property Professionals.

Meanwhile, new ARLA Propertymark president Sally Lawson is a well-known figure in the lettings industry.

Lawson is a published author and the founder of franchise agency Concentric Sales & Lettings.

The lettings guru, who has been in the industry for over 25 years, is also a regular public speaker and assists agents outside of her franchise through Property Agents Circle.

The new presidents will be tasked with representing their memberships and working alongside their boards to tackle industry issues.

Following the announcement of a new housing minister last week, NAEA and ARLA Propertymark chief executives Mark Hayward and David Cox issued a joint statement.

"We call on the minister to build upon the underwhelming recommendations contained within the housing white paper and take forward a series of fundamental reforms to change the industry for the better," they said.

"Demand continues to greatly outstrip supply and more appropriate regulation of the sector is vital if we are to improve the experience of people looking to rent and purchase a home."

The organisations also called on the government to introduce a 'radical' new Housing Bill at the Queen's Speech, which has been delayed until Wednesday following the General Election.

In the build up to this year's NAEA and ARLA Propertymark AGMs, there was controversy surrounding the election process of the vice presidents.

High profile Cornish agent Chris Wood, who runs PDQ Property, was excluded from the ballot after a panel interview.

"There are unanswered election irregularities and a formal request to halt the election has been called, pending an investigation,” he tweeted at the time.