Knight Frank boosts West Midlands business
Knight Frank has strengthened its sales teams in its West Midlands regions, appointing new sales directors, Lucy Blyth in its Shrewsbury office and Daniel Hayhurst in Cheshire and North Wales.
In their new roles, they will be tasked with leading their teams and building the firm’s market share in their respective regions.
Blyth has over three decades of experience in the property industry, having started his career with Gascoigne Peas in Surbiton in 1995. She went on to manage the Weybridge office before joining Savills in 2004, where she helped to launch their Weybridge branch and later moved to the country department covering the Home Counties.
Blyth commented: “When Kevin Bolton and Michelle Glassey approached me, it was an opportunity I was keen to embrace, given our long-standing professional relationship. I have quickly settled into the role and am thoroughly enjoying working with such a highly regarded team. I look forward to contributing to the continued success of the business.”
Hayhurst has worked in Cheshire since starting his career in 2003, covering markets across South Manchester, Cheshire and North Wales. His senior positions include head of residential and rural agency at Fischer German in Knutsford, where he supervised a multidisciplinary team and contributed to the firm’s regional growth strategy. Prior to this, he spent 17 years with Jackson Stopes in Chester, strengthening his expertise in the upper-quartile market.
Hayhurst said: “It is a pleasure to join Knight Frank and continue our work in the premium residential markets of Cheshire and South Manchester. The company’s strength in the key sector and its reputation for excellence provide an excellent platform to support clients. I am very much looking forward to working with the team here.”
Michelle Glassey, West Midlands director for Knight Frank, said: “Lucy is a highly experienced individual in the Staffordshire and Shropshire markets, she will be invaluable in enhancing the depth and breadth of our experience based primarily from the Shrewsbury office.
“Joining us to open the new Cheshire office based in Knutsford, Daniel is a well-known agent in the Cheshire market. We are looking forward to expanding Knight Frank’s offering in Cheshire and Dan is a great ambassador to do so. Despite a turbulent market, we are delighted that demand for Knight Frank’s honest, focused and market-driven advice continues to grow.”
Galbraith unveils series of promotions
Galbraith has announced a number of internal promotions to boost its services across estate agency, rural management, commercial property, building consultancy and forestry.
Alice Wilson, Jamie Addison-Scott and Nick Ainscough were all promoted to directors.
Martin Cassels, chief executive of Galbraith, said: “I am delighted to see the dedication and talent of our teams in Scotland and Northern England, particularly in strategic areas such as our rural business stream, commercial property and building consultancy. We champion our people-centric culture and having the right people in place providing excellent advice to clients enables us to plan for the future with confidence.
“Our customers are our priority, and because we work across a hugely diverse range of services, we have the depth and breadth of expertise to support them.”
Specifically, the senior staff now promoted to director are: Jamie Addison Scott of the Edinburgh-based firm’s commercial division; Nick Ainscough is based in Perth working in both rural and agency teams; and Alice Wilson, in both the rural and agency teams in Ayr.
Kerry Harvey, of the firm’s commercial team in Edinburgh, and Susan Guthrie, who manages estate agency and property leasing in the Scottish Borders, have become senior partners. Additionally, at Kelso, Janet Birkett will take up the role of senior lettings negotiator, moving from her previous role in the firm’s Edinburgh office.
There are eight promotions to associate, six of whom are in the rural team – Alistair Torrance, Edward Fletcher, Georgina Weston, Joy Dunn, Megan Proctor and Rose Nash – while Josh Lamb in the building consultancy division and forestry team member John Tompson also become associates.
Cameron Main, Olivia Smith and Anna Fisher are now senior surveyors, while eight people from the team in operational roles at Galbraith have also been promoted, including Jason Fraser to head of client accounting, Alex Nix to GIS consultant, Sandy Kirchner-Wilson to web development manager, Anna McLean to executive assistant and Lynn Cole to personal assistant.
Tara Brisbane takes on the role of senior administrator and Mhairi Brown becomes assistant management accountant.
In the firm’s compliance team, Alison Robb holds the role of Compliance and AML Administrator.
Bradley Hall announces senior appointment
Bradley Hall has appointed Rish Rahane as senior block and estate asset manager.
His arrival coincides with the launch of the firm’s residential block and property management department, which offers its services to developers, freeholders and resident management companies.
Rahane joins after six years as a property manager in London. He will work across Bradley Hall’s managed portfolio, overseeing apartment blocks, housing estates and mixed-use developments. Their responsibilities include service charge management, maintenance and repairs, compliance, and management of communal areas and property infrastructure.
Rahane commented: “Joining Bradley Hall at this stage of its growth is a really exciting opportunity. The business has built a strong reputation for delivering expert advice across a wide range of property services, and I look forward to helping to further develop the property management offering.
“Effective block and property management is built on stability, attention to detail and clear, transparent communication with residents. I look forward to helping to build on this at Bradley Hall and further strengthen a service that clients and residents can have real confidence in. Furthermore, working closely with colleagues in valuation, building surveying and asset management will allow us to offer a joint approach to clients across the region.”
Group Managing Director Richard Rafiq commented: “The appointment of Rish is an important step in the continued growth of our property management and property management services. As Bradley Hall expands nationally, we are placing greater emphasis on strengthening our property management offering alongside our wider commercial services, ensuring a consistent, integrated and well-coordinated approach across the residential and mixed-use development and wider commercial property spectrum.
“We are proud to combine property management, agency, valuation, lease renewal and rent review under one roof with a dedicated and expert point of contact.
“Clients want clear communication, strong oversight and a single point of contact that understands how developments operate in practice. Rish brings valuable experience in managing large and complex schemes, and will strengthen our ability to provide reliable, high-quality management across our growing portfolio.”