Property Jobs Today - key moves in and about our industry

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Property Jobs Today - the Monday slot where you can catch up with who’s going where and why.

Everyone here contacted us on press@estateagenttoday.co.uk and if you do the same with your firm’s jobs news, we will of course tell the industry.

Let’s start with Mr and Mrs Clarke, an unusual hybrid agency with franchisees working to a business model where they keep 75 per cent of all commission on sales and lettings.

The operation has named Michael Lancaster-Clark, an experienced property developer, as the latest partner in the agency, covering Lewisham, Southwark and Lambeth in south London. 

“I’m excited to be be bringing a Mr & Mrs Clarke to south east London and I know there is a desire from sellers, landlords and developers to work with an agency who understands property and have the style to advertise homes in a beautiful way to get them the best deal” explains Michael.

The firm now has seven such partners and says it’s keen to talk to more people interested in making the leap.

-

Still in London, short lets white-label management services firm City Relay has announced the appointment of Erskine Berry as head of B2B. 

Prior to joining City Relay, Erskine was general manager at Under The Doormat where he increased sales growth fivefold by overseeing service delivery, client relations, strategic planning and recruitment.

He has also held senior positions at Capital Attraction Partners, an entertainment investment business, and Altitude London, a group of venues providing events and hospitality in central London.

City Relay commits to a less-than-two-hour response time for all maintenance requests, and Erskine says of the challenge: “The company’s approach to short let property management in London is unique and their B2B operations are growing at pace as more and more businesses realise the opportunities offered by City Relay’s tailored and integrated operational support.”  

-

Off to second-city Birmingham now, where Bond Wolfe Auctions has recruited one of the most experienced land and development surveyors in the Midlands.

Colin Totney (pictured centre) has joined the Birmingham-based business as land and development surveyor after nearly 40 years of experience in the industry.

Bond Wolfe Auctions was launched in January by chief executive Gurpreet Bassi (left) and managing director Ian Tudor (right), who were formerly the heads of residential and commercial auctions at the Bigwood auctions business. It has 17 staff already. 

-

In the world of PropTech, industry doyen Peter Knight - best known as the Property Academy and Estate Agency Events founder - has become a non-exec director on the board of Goodlord.

“I’ve long been a fan of Goodlord. Unlike other players in the PropTech space, it is building something that is solving real challenges faced by letting agents. I’m therefore delighted to be joining its board” explains Peter.

And there’s lots of appointments news at another high-profile PropTech operator, View My Chain - the property chain management system.

Mark Witherspoon - ex Hometrack and UKValuation - will be joining as a non-executive strategic advisor, bringing 30 years of experience from both the property and financial services sectors. 

He says: “The ability to access information for those parties keen to track and manage case progression is incredibly powerful. View My Chain has invested intelligently to bring the service to this point in its development.”

And Beth Rudolf also joins in a non-executive strategic role. Beth has extensive experience within legal services and was formerly the chief executive of the Society of Licensed Conveyancers. 

“I see this as an opportunity to develop my understanding of the availability and power of data and its potential to improve the home-moving process for the homemover and stakeholders alike” she comments.

Also announced is the appointment of Rebecca Robinson as View My Chain’s new Growth Marketeer. Joining from Rightmove with a strong background in digital marketing, Rebecca will be leading the View My Chain growth plan in delivering the platforms to a wider audience. 

Rebecca says: “The platform looks great and provides real insight to those who need it. I’m really looking forward to helping this essential tool grow.” 

-

And one more PropTech appointment this week.

Residential property management company FirstPort has appointed Heather Payne as chief technology officer.

“In my first few weeks with FirstPort I have had the pleasure of working with a knowledgeable, enthusiastic and future focused team” she says.

Heather has spent her whole career successfully delivering digital transformation across multiple sectors, including Avon Cosmetics.

-

So that’s it for this week. Remember to please keep us informed - who knows, you might feature next Monday. 

Until then…