Jenna Coghlan joins Davidson Estates as marketing assistant

Jenna Coghlan has joined Davidson Estates as a marketing assistant, after graduating from the University of Birmingham with a first-class degree in History, Ancient History and Archaeology.

The estate agency, which has offices in Edgbaston and the city centre, had just four staff this time last year but now has seven and is currently advertising for a further three posts.

Coghlan, 22, was born and raised in Stafford, and used to work part-time for an estate agency in Harborne during her studies, which was when she got to know Davidson Estates.

She said: “I saw this job offer as a welcome advancement in my career away from simple administrative duties and towards a role which demands so much more responsibility.

“I spent much of my degree handling human skeletons, talking about the Iliad, or debating Thatcherism, so it’s been quite a bizarre transition from writing my two dissertations on the Neolithic and contemporary Conservatism, to marketing million-pound properties!

“But I’m adoring the creative freedom that marketing is giving me, as my main passion is writing, and I’m at my happiest conjuring up property descriptions and promotional materials.”

Ben Davidson, managing director of Davidson Estates, commented: “We’re really pleased to have added Jenna to our team as she’s brought some refined skills in writing and describing all the great properties we have on offer.”

Davidson explained that the company’s expansion was being driven by the fact the property market had remained strong, despite the interruptions caused by Covid-19.

He added: “There’s been a steady growth in all areas despite the lockdowns, and there’s now quite a surge in the number of deals we’re sealing for the new homes market across the city.

“We’re now keen to get the right people in place to help us handle more new homes appointments and to manage the ever-growing finance department.”

The three new roles Davidson is now adverting for are a new homes associate, a property manager and accounts assistant, and an inventory clerk.

Savills announces new head of UK valuation division

Savills has announced that Nick Harris will take on the role of Head of UK Valuation, supported by Craig Timney, who will undertake the role of Head of UK valuation operations.

These appointments follow the decision by Ian Malden to step down in the spring of 2022, after 10 years as head of division and an overall career with Savills spanning over 30 years.

Simon Collett, head of professional services at Savills, said: “I would like to thank Ian for his significant contribution, tremendous energy and commitment. We are delighted that he, Nick and Craig will work together in the forthcoming months as Ian hands over, to plan the next phase of evolving our highly successful, market leading Valuation service. Ian will remain in the business part time in a client facing and business development role.”

Savills UK valuation business has been providing specialised valuations for loan security purposes for over 30 years, and now has a 125 strong team, which includes its well established Portfolio Valuation team, located throughout the UK.

Harris commented: “We have seen a transformation in the way we value, and the technology that we have adopted to assist with this service offering and it is an exciting time to drive the business forward.”

BPF Futures appoints new chair

Isabelle Hease, CEO of Visitor Insights, becomes chair of BPF Futures, the British Property Federation’s network of young and emerging leaders from across the built environment.

Hease takes the role on from outgoing chair Harvin Chohan, a chartered surveyor at CBRE, who has been in the position since 2017.

Hease has been on the BPF Futures advisory board for four years and will work alongside the advisory board members to build out the LAUNCHPAD initiative in order to provide more mentoring and networking opportunities for young professionals and increase the reach of BPF Futures regionally through an expanded programme of events.

Established in 2017, BPF Futures, has grown to a membership of 1,300 junior professionals, representing over 300 companies. The network aims to bring together cross-industry professionals in the property sector to aid professional development and provide space to learn about and influence real estate policy.

Hease commented: “BPF Futures has an important role to play in bringing together young and diverse views from across the real estate sector. The combination of networking opportunities and professional development helps to foster essential relationships between the chief executives of tomorrow.

“In my role as chair, my core focus will be to elevate the bright young voices in the property industry, giving them the platform to have their views embedded into policy positions. A regional programme of events will facilitate conversations across the country, expanding our reach and representation even further.”