Knight Frank bolsters West Midlands business
Knight Frank has bolstered its sales teams across its West Midlands regions, appointing new sales directors, Lucy Blythe in its Shrewsbury office and Daniel Hayhurst across 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 areas.
Blythe brings over three decades of experience in the property industry, having begun her career with Gascoigne Pees in Surbiton in 1995. She went on to manage the Weybridge office before joining Savills in 2004, where she helped launch their Weybridge branch and later moved into the Country Department covering the Home Counties.
Blythe commented: “When Kevin Boulton and Mitchell Glassey approached me, it was an opportunity I was keen to embrace, given our longstanding professional relationships. I have quickly settled into the role and am thoroughly enjoying working alongside such a highly regarded team. I look forward to contributing to the continued success of the business.”
Hayhurst has worked in Cheshire since his career began in 2003, operating in the markets of South Manchester, Cheshire, and North Wales. His senior positions have included head of residential and rural agency at Fisher German in Knutsford, where he oversaw a multidisciplinary team and contributed to the firm’s regional growth strategy. Prior to this, he spent 17 years with Jackson Stops in Chester, cementing his expertise in the upper‑quartile marketplace.
Hayhurst said: “It’s a pleasure to be joining Knight Frank and continuing my work across the premium residential markets of Cheshire and South Manchester. The firm’s strength in the prime sector and its reputation for excellence provide an outstanding platform from which to support clients. I am very much looking forward to working with the team here.”
Mitchell Glassey, director, West Midlands for Knight Frank, added: “Lucy is a highly experienced individual in the Staffordshire and Shropshire markets, she will be invaluable in increasing our depth and breadth of experience, primarily from the Shrewsbury office.
“Joining 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 pleased that demand for Knight Frank’s honest, focused and market driven advice continues to shine through.”
Galbraith unveils raft of promotions
Galbraith has announced a number of internal promotions to boost its services in estate agency, rural management, commercial property, building consultancy and forestry.
Alice Wilson, Jamie Addison-Scott and Nick Ainscough were all promoted to Director.
Martin Cassels, Chief Executive of Galbraith, said: “I am delighted to recognise the dedication and talent of our teams across Scotland and the north of England, notably in strategic areas such as our rural business stream, commercial property and building consultancy. We champion our people-focused culture and having the right people in place providing outstanding advice to clients enables us to plan for the future with confidence.
“Our clients are our priority, and as we operate across a hugely diverse range of services, we have the depth and breadth of expertise to support them.”
Notably, senior employees now promoted to Director are: Jamie Addison Scott, of the Firm’s commercial division based in Edinburgh; Nick Ainscough working in both the rural and agency teams based in Perth; 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 lettings in the Scottish Borders, become Senior Associates. Also, in 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, of whom six are in the rural team – Alistair Torrance, Edward Fletcher, Georgina Weston, Joey Dunn, Megan Proctor and Rose Nash – while Josh Lamb in the building consultancy division and Jon Tompson, a member of the forestry team, also become Associates.
Cameron Main, Olivia Smith and Anna Fisher are now Senior Surveyors, while eight of 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, Ana Maclean to Executive Assistant and Lynne 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 takes on the role of Compliance and AML Administrator.
Bradley Hall announces senior appointment
Bradley Hall has appointed Rish Rahane as senior block and estate property manager.
His arrival coincides with the launch of the firm’s residential block and estate management department, extending its services to developers, freeholders and resident management companies.
Rahane joins after six years in London as a property manager. He will work across Bradley Hall’s managed portfolio, overseeing apartment blocks, housing estates and mixed-use developments. His responsibilities include service charge management, maintenance and repairs, compliance, and the management of communal areas and estate 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’m looking forward to helping grow the property management offering further.
“Effective block and estate management is built on consistency, attention to detail, and clear, transparent communication with residents. I’m looking forward to building on that at Bradley Hall and helping to further strengthen a service that clients and residents can have real confidence in. Additionally, working closely with colleagues across valuations, building surveying and asset management will allow us to offer a joined-up approach for clients across the region.”
Richard Rafique, group managing director, commented: “Rish’s appointment is an important step in the continued growth of our asset 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 residential and mixed-use developments, and the wider commercial property spectrum.
“We are proud to combine property management, agency, valuations, lease renewals and rent reviews under one roof with one dedicated and expert point of contact.
“Clients increasingly want clear communication, strong oversight and a single point of contact who understands how developments operate in practice. Rish brings valuable experience in managing large and complex schemes, and will strengthen our ability to deliver reliable, high-quality management across our growing portfolio.”
