Former estate agent Mike Gowland has joined a recruitment group to head up its estate agency recruitment in the north-west.

Gowland, who originally qualified as a chartered surveyor, has almost 30 years’ experience in the property industry.

He has run his own estate agency, been the Yorkshire regional director for Countrywide, and is former managing director of Bridgfords.

Most recently, he has worked for both Sequence and LSL, where he was divisional director responsible for establishing and developing its lettings business.

Gowland has now joined Nicola Davis and Robin Tossell, the former AMR franchisees for the north of England, at The Ambitious Group, which has just opened a second office, in Manchester.

Another recruitment firm has also announced expansion plans.

Rayner Personnel, run by Joshua Rayner, is planning to expand its coverage across most of the UK by licensing territories.

Its first licensee, Scott Clarke, is already successfully operating out of Newbury, Berkshire.

Clarke ran an estate agency, Key Estates in Spain for 15 years, expanding it from one office to six branches and 45 staff on the Costa del Sol before returning to the UK with his family.

Rayner said that other licences will be made available, covering the midlands, north, Scotland and Northern Ireland.