Fine & Country honours 'outstanding agents'

Hundreds of property professionals from international premium estate agency Fine & Country gathered in London for the brand’s annual conference and awards celebration last week. 

The Fine & Country Conference provided the opportunity for delegates to learn from each other by discussing the latest developments in estate agency, listen to keynote speakers and to meet the industry suppliers.

The event culminated in a lavish awards ceremony sponsored by The Sunday Times, which included the inaugural Napoleon Wilcox Award - made in memory of the much respected and loved Fine & Country colleague who sadly passed away last year. 

The award has been created in Napoleon’s name to publicly acknowledge an individual’s outstanding contribution to Fine & Country worldwide.

There were more than 60 nominations worldwide for this particular award and just five made the shortlist - all were named and accredited on the day. 

The winner was Sue Gipson from Fine & Country St Neots.

Gipson, who has worked at Fine & Country for more than 18 years, said: “I simply could not believe it when my name was announced. It means such a lot to be recognised by fellow professionals from around the world in this way and I’m immensely proud to be the very first winner of this fantastic award. I congratulate all those who were nominated and shortlisted and want to thank everyone in the Fine & Country team for the brilliant support they provide.”

It was presented by managing director of Webbers Fine & Country and long-time close friend of Napoleon, Malcolm Prescott, who said: “This was an extremely emotional but important day to remember Napoleon at the prestigious Fine & Country Awards dinner and his wonderful children Warwick and Ella were both thankful and touched that their father has been remembered in this way. 

“Napoleon was instrumental in ensuring that the 14 strong office network of Webbers Property Services were early adopters of Fine & Country, such was his belief in the brand and the potential that he could clearly see some years ago. 

“As a long-standing member of the National Advisory Council (NAC), Napoleon was entrenched in the Fine & Country business, making genuinely great friends with the group and he will be greatly missed by all at Webbers and Fine & Country. The recipient of this award, like Napoleon, has shown great commitment to the Fine & Country brand and service and a recognition that is richly deserved.”

The event was attended by many of brand’s UK based agents, as well as those based in locations further afield, such France, Germany, Hungary, Jersey, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Switzerland.

Titled ‘To stand out, be outstanding’, the conference focused on the fact that while 2023 is proving to be another year of unpredictability for the housing market, with reduced transactions set to take place, in the challenge lies opportunity for outstanding agents.  

Nicky Stevenson, managing director of Fine & Country, said: “While 2023 will be a more challenging year for the estate agency sector than what we have experienced in the past few years, we believe that with our experience, arsenal of technology, award-winning marketing and international network of like-minded, passionate people behind us, there is no reason why Fine & Country will not stand out from the competition and continue to achieve outstanding results.”

The full list of winners announced at the conference were:

Marketing & Exposure – Fine & Country Algarve

Property Presentation: Fine & Country French Riviera

Customer Service: Fine & Country Fakenham

Best Referring Agent: Fine & Country Colchester

Best Newcomer: Fine & Country Northumberland

PR: Fine & Country North Cumbria

Social Media: Fine & Country Leamington Spa

Fine & Country Foundation: Fine & Country Rugby

Outstanding Contribution to Fine & Country: Ben Madden, Fine & Country Chiswick

Park Lane Associate Award: Sarah Tuer, Fine & Country Northumberland

Napoleon Wilcox Individual Achievement Award:  Sue Gipson, Fine & Country St Neots

Regional Awards:

Wales: Fine & Country Newport

South West: Fine & Country New Forest

Midlands: Fine & Country Droitwich Spa

North East: Fine & Country Northumberland

North West: Fine & Country North Cumbria

East Anglia: Fine & Country St Neots

South East: Fine & Country Marlborough and Devizes

London: Fine & Country Chiswick

Spain: Costa Blanca North

Europe: Fine & Country French Riviera

Asia Pacific: Fine & Country Perth

Africa: Fine & Country Helderberg

Best UK Operator: Fine & Country Chiswick

Best International Operator: Fine & Country French Riviera