Michael Strong appointed as chairman of Granger Reis

Michael Strong, the ex-chairman and CEO of CBRE EMEA, has been appointed as chairman of executive search firm Granger Reis.

Strong, who will lead on strategic direction, has more than 40 years working within the property sector.

A specialist in advising clients on a wide variety of major development, investment and leasing projects, Strong has provided general consultancy advice to major corporates.

Prior to joining Granger Reis, Strong served as executive chairman for Europe & The Middle East and CEO and president of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at CBRE Group.

Strong commented: “Granger Reis is a specialist in everything it does. The team is passionate about executive search consultancy and the industries they work in, and most importantly they are experts in their field.

“The company is on a strong trajectory at the present moment despite the difficult start those across the industry have faced this year.

“As a company that is continuously improving and innovating, I hope my industry knowledge will aid them well in their efforts.”

Fisher German welcomes new chairman

David Brewin, former senior partner and chief operating officer at Ernst & Young, has stepped into the role of chairman after two years serving as a non-executive director of Fisher German, which is headquartered in Leicestershire.

He succeeds Harry Cotterell – former president of the CLA – who is stepping down after five years in the role at Fisher German, which employs around 600 people in 26 offices across the UK.

Brewin, who is the third non-executive chair in the firm’s history, spent more than 20 years at Ernst & Young and now holds board positions in the healthcare and social enterprise sectors.

He said: “I have really enjoyed being on the board of Fisher German, which is a very strong firm with very good people and excellent leadership.

“It has a very strong focus on its clients and developing its people and management team, and that has been key in what has been a testing time for everyone in recent months.

“It has taken some very bold but necessary decisions since the outbreak of the pandemic and that has resulted in the business being in a much stronger position than might have been expected six months ago, and it will be well-placed when we emerge from this testing time.

“Fisher German has built a diverse portfolio of related services which has not only protected it against downturns in certain areas, but also allowed it to develop multiple offerings to clients and that has seen impressive growth.

“I am excited to help managing partner Andrew Bridge and his leadership team continue and develop that growth further.”

Maryanne Smith joins Naish Property

Naish Property in York has recruited Maryanne Smith as head of estate agency.

Smith has spent the past 27 years working in residential property market throughout North and West Yorkshire, and will now look to grow the firm’s York presence in both sales and letting.

She will work closely with James Naish and the wider team to help strengthen the long-established estate agency business.

“We are strong believers in the high street model of estate agency,” said Smith.