LSL has appointed Jon Cooke as managing director of Your Move.

He succeeds Helen Woodhouse, who left the company suddenly at the end of March.

Cooke’s career spans nearly 30 years and he began to rise to the top of the property profession as one of the youngest branch managers for Prudential Property Services.

In 1991, he started Intercounty Estate Agents. Eight years later he created the highly successful Fine & Country brand (now with 300 offices throughout the world) in conjunction with the Guild of Professional Estate Agents.

Cooke is also highly active on the charities front and for the last two years has been instrumental in organising, and taking part in, cycle ride events to raise money for homeless causes.

In 2012, Cooke was honoured with ‘The Outstanding Contribution To Estate Agency Award’ at the Sunday Times Estate Agency of the Year Awards.

The judges said of their choice: “Jon’s long-term commitment to the estate agency industry combines a passion for ensuring a high-quality offering to the public, a talent to offer diverse opportunities and a philanthropic contribution to the community.”

In recent years he has been managing director of LSLi, a vehicle which offers independents a means of growing their businesses while retaining their own brand, and giving proprietors an exit strategy.

LSLi has now grown to over 50 offices across eight brands, including Intercounty itself, Davis Tate, Frosts and Lauristons. Cooke will retain an active interest in LSLi and will remain on the board.

Meanwhile, LSL’s commercial director David Brown is extending his remit and will join the board at LSLi.

Brown has over 30 years’ varied estate agency experience, starting at branch level and working his way up to senior management positions on the boards of several LSL companies.

He ran and expanded Your Move Lettings for over six years and in 2008 set up and has since successfully grown the corporate services division.

David Newnes, estate agency director of LSL, said: “These are strong internal appointments of people with a significant depth of long-term experience and practical hands-on involvement in estate agency.

“David and Jon are both an ideal fit for their new expanded roles and will be able to carry on and grow the good work across the business, building from the substantial growth reported in the recent LSL annual results.”