Spicerhaart has celebrated the top achievements and contributions of its teams at its annual Elevate Awards ceremony.

The event, held at The Brewery in London, was co- hosted by Spicerhaart group MD Antony Lark and national operations director John Phillips.

The iconic venue provided the backdrop for an afternoon of celebration and recognition, with over 150 awards handed out.

Spicerhaart’s chief executive, Paul Smith, said: “It was brilliant to return to The Brewery, an iconic venue and our original conference location for many years. It was an amazing event, knowing that we have a fantastic business with some of the best people in our industry.

“Our estate agency and financial service businesses have the depth, dedication to succeed and determination to win in any market conditions and it was important to show our appreciation and celebrate everyone’s hard work and dedication.”

Among the highlights of the day was the announcement of the winners’ rewards, including an all-expenses paid ski trip, a VIP event to see Peter Kay and an overseas trip to a surprise destination next year.

Lark commented: “We always like to keep a few surprises up our sleeve and this time was no exception. We love to see people’s faces when we share where our star performers will be going. It provides a real incentive for others to aim higher.”

Phillips added: “It was fantastic to be in the room with so many of the Spicerhaart family winners across the business, and the buzz when we announced the incentives for 2024 was amazing.”

Awards were achieved within Spicerhaart’s estate agency, lettings and financial services divisions across its seven brands – haart, Chewton Rose, Darlows, Felicity J Lord, butters john bee, Haybrook and Howards.

Gold first place award winners included: Mark Alvis, Sarah-Jane Ashdown, Sarah Banks, Paul Beardmore, Nigel Binks, Nick Browne, Alan Campbell, Melissa Casey, Wezley Clarke, Ashley Cooke, Mark Currington, Gethin Davies (x3), Kerry-Ann Davies, Alex Djukic, Matthew Donnelly, Lauren Ellison, Holly Evans, David Greenslade, Rami Hariri, Daniel Harley, Simon Jarvis, Jessie Jinks, Amy Keatman, Jennifer Knowles, Jordon Jones, Laura Maccio, Paul McGrath, Becky Middleton, Mel Mills, Deborah Mills, Benjamin Parry, Kieran Pattni, Niamh Reeman, Tony Richards, Steve Ridout, Paul Roscoe, Vishal Sood, Liam Speak (x3), Kate Stearman, Tommy Taylor, Shane Thompson (x2), Laura Tilbury, Matt Tilbury, Cassie Tovell (x2), Andy Townsend, Jacob Vaughan, Martina Wall (x2), Elinor WaltersDavies, Josh White (x2). Top branch for mortgage signups: haart Bury St Edmunds; Top branch for canvassed listings: haart Clacton. Special achievement award: John Spence.

Meanwhile, a special achievement award was also handed to Spicerhaart chairman on his retirement after more than 12 years in the role.

Spence, 72, was presented with the chairman’s award for Special Service – the very award that he usually presents – at the annual Spicerhaart Elevate Awards.

He said it had been an honour to work with such an innovative organisation and was looking forward to staying closely connected to the Spicerhaart family.

He said: “It has been a privilege to chair the Board of this most enterprising and determined of businesses. I started as mentor to the CEO Paul Smith and look forward to returning to that role and maintaining my relationship with the company. Paul has always sought to combine the values of high performance and family and I hope I can continue helping him on this journey.

“I am a firm believer that people should serve limited terms on boards of companies and charities. I’m standing down with sadness but it’s the right thing to do and I will keep adding value to Spicerhaart in different ways.”

Educated at Trinity College Dublin and Harvard Business School, MSpence spent more than 30 years in banking culminating in managing director roles at Lloyds TSB. He also held a number of non-executive director roles with HMRC, Capital for Enterprise, CallCredit and Skipton Building Society.

He has chaired the British Banking Retail and Small Business Committees and HMRC’s Audit Committee and was a non-Executive Director for Skipton Group Holdings and the Money Advice Service. He was also the deputy chairman for many years of Business in the Community.

Paul Smith said: “John has contributed so much to our organisation over the years, not just holding our Board to account but also as my mentor, and I’m grateful he will continue in that role. He has always been there for everybody and has attended all our Elevate Summits. His speeches are legendary, as is his kindness towards his colleagues. Many a person has received an unexpected note or call from John, praising them for their achievements.”