Savills strengthens Suffolk residential sales team
Savills has appointed Samantha Holmes as an associate director in its residential sales team in Suffolk.
Holmes joins the firm with 15 years’ experience in the county’s property market, having previously worked for regional estate agencies Jackson-Stops and David Burr.
She specialises in the sale of residential and equestrian properties across West Suffolk and will focus on Bury St Edmunds and the towns and villages of the Stour Valley, including Sudbury, Long Melford, Lavenham, Clare, Cavendish and Bures.
Holmes said: “The [Suffolk] office has a strong track record of selling some of the finest homes in the county and I want to continue to build on that success – working with others and using my own experiences to help drive future growth and provide the best possible service for our clients.
“I have lived and worked in West Suffolk for several years and know the area extremely well, building a strong network of contacts and establishing a thorough understanding of the local market, while also working alongside trainers, jockeys, owners and event riders on everything from race yards and studs through to country estates with equestrian facilities.”
Holmes will be working alongside head of department Peter Ogilvie, director Tom Orford, associate director Katy Stephenson and negotiator Elly-May Downing .
Ogilvie said: “She [Holmes] has an extremely strong understanding of the West Suffolk property market which can only be a benefit to clients and colleagues alike. Her arrival ensures the evolution and expansion of our team continues and the services we offer are further enhanced.”
Property Ombudsman appoints operations director
The Property Ombudsman has appointed Enna Khan as director of operations.
Khan joins the redress scheme with more than 20 years’ experience in property, customer experience and operational leadership.
She will oversee operational delivery across the organisation, with responsibility for supporting services provided to consumers and property businesses.
Before joining The Property Ombudsman, Khan spent more than nine years at Knight Frank, where she was partner for customer experience across the firm’s UK residential business.
During her time there, she led a business-wide transformation programme involving around 1,300 employees across 70 offices, covering sales, lettings, operations, technology, data, marketing and training.
Khan also managed the firm’s customer contact centre and oversaw the introduction of new customer relationship management, repairs management, telephony and artificial intelligence systems, alongside performance frameworks designed to improve service delivery.
In addition to her agency experience, she has worked as a strategic adviser to property and housing organisations on customer experience, accessibility, governance, regulatory compliance and engagement with ombudsman services.
Khan said: “The Property Ombudsman performs an essential role in helping consumers and property businesses resolve disputes fairly while using the lessons from complaints to support better standards across the industry.
“My career has focused on bringing people, processes, data and technology together to create services that are efficient, responsive and centred on the needs of customers.
“Having led operations, customer experience and digital transformation within large and rapidly growing organisations, I understand the importance of listening carefully, identifying the causes of service problems and supporting colleagues with the tools and systems they need to resolve them.
“I am looking forward to applying that experience at The Property Ombudsman and helping the organisation continue to develop a trusted and accessible service that delivers fair outcomes.”
Andy Clachers, CEO of The Property Ombudsman, added: “Enna brings an excellent combination of operational leadership, property industry knowledge and first-hand experience of transforming complex customer services.
“She understands how strong systems, engaged colleagues and meaningful customer insight can work together to improve outcomes. Her experience will be invaluable as we continue to evolve our operations, make our services easier to use and respond to the changing needs of consumers and property businesses.”
Golding Homes appoints new chair
Golding Homes has appointed Rachel Hatfield as its new board chair, with her appointment taking effect on 7 August.
Hatfield is currently interim chair of Chime Housing, a community-led social housing provider in Hertfordshire, and is a former international finance and corporate lawyer.
She brings more than 25 years’ non-executive experience across the housing, financial services, education, healthcare and land management sectors. Her previous roles have focused on organisations delivering services to local and national communities.
Hatfield also serves as a trustee of The Land Trust, a charity that manages publicly accessible green spaces across the UK.
She succeeds the outgoing chair as Golding Homes continues to oversee its housing operations and services.
Rachel, who’ll take over from Chris Cheeseman said: “I’ve worked as a non-executive in a variety of organisations around where I’ve lived so I was very keen to get involved with communities in Kent. I’m looking forward to getting to know our customers and colleagues and getting out and about in the areas where we have homes, so I can truly listen to customers’ voices and understand their needs.”
Stephanie Goad, chief executive, added: “I’d like to thank Chris for his outstanding contribution during his time as chair. His leadership, insight and unwavering commitment to our purpose have been invaluable, and he leaves a lasting legacy for customers, communities and colleagues.
“We’re now delighted to welcome Rachel as our new chair and look forward to working together to build on our strong foundations and continue Golding’s journey.”
