The Agency UK welcomes a new partner

The Agency UK has strengthened its team with the arrival of Beth Pollard, former owner of House and Home Bespoke, who joins as a partner to cover a new area for the agency, Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.

Pollard brings plenty of experience, expertise and local knowledge to The Agency UK after spending 15 years in the property industry. Her agency journey began with Countrywide in 2007 as a negotiator before progressing through the ranks and moving to work at a number of other large corporations.

It was during the pandemic that Pollard launched House and Home Bespoke to provide property sales, lettings, lifestyle management and holiday homes across Leicestershire.

“Seeing it develop from a business plan I wrote on holiday to a well-established brand in the area was amazing. I loved it. However, when the opportunity arose to operate under a bigger umbrella with The Agency UK it was a no brainer,” commented Pollard.

Steph Walker, COO of The Agency UK, said: “The portals are inflating the cost of running an estate agency business to near impossible levels for bespoke/luxury independent agencies. The dim reality is that many will have to shut their doors as competition in the marketplace greatens.

“Here at The Agency UK, we’re applying our knowledge of the British market to the Australian brokerage model and ultimately allowing entrepreneurial estate agents to run their own business with complete autonomy, low overheads, and tremendous backing and support.

“As the brand grows, it gives the Partners even greater power in their marketplace.”

The Agency UK’s latest arrival joins a team comprising 60 self-employed estate agents.

Connells Group welcomes new human resources director, Iain Lewis

Connells Group has appointed Iain Lewis as group human resources director.

Lewis has spans more than 20 years’ experience working in HR, having worked across a number

of sectors, with particular areas of expertise including cultural awareness and development, change and transformation leadership, learning and development, and resourcing.

Working alongside Connells Group’s business leaders, Lewis’ objectives as group human resources director will be to progress the group’s long-term aspirations for its 16,000 colleagues, to support any outstanding integration activity and to continue building on its colleague engagement work.

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to join Connells Group and apply my expertise in the HR sector to this industry-leading business,” said Lewis. “I start with a great platform to build from, and believe my breadth of experience and varied background will help me to realise new opportunities, address any issues and, ultimately, create an even better HR function than already exists.”

“The aim for any HR team is to help attract, develop, motivate and retain the best possible talent, and everything I do will be focused on supporting the business to do that,” he added.

Richard Twigg, Connells Group financial director, commented: “Iain’s wealth of experience and broad spectrum of skills make this a fantastic appointment for us and we believe he’ll make great strides as our new Group HR Director. We look forward to working with him to drive forward plans for our HR function and continue to develop our offering as a leading employer in the property industry.”

The Mortgage Lender bolsters Business Development team

The Mortgage Lender (TML) has hired Nicola Ashby and Keith Campsie as business development managers (BDM) for the Midlands and Home Counties South.

Ashby joins TML after almost eight years at Coventry Building Society, five years of which she worked in the intermediary mortgage market. Her most recent roles included working as a BDM and business development specialist.

Ashby’s role at TML will focus on building current and forming new relationships with key accounts in the Midlands, helping to grow awareness of TML’s position in the mortgage market. Ranging from specialist lender services for those with complex incomes to the self-employed, and the overall mortgage market positioning.

Joining TML as BDM for the Home Counties South region, Campsie has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in the industry, having previously worked at Pepper Money where he was regional development manager and TSB as a BDM.

Campsie’s role will be focused on working closely with mortgage intermediaries and brokers in the South to help support clients with more complex lending requirements.

TML is focused on enhancing relationships with distributor and broker partners as the business continues to grow. The business aims to support and work closely with brokers and intermediaries to help build awareness of its product ranges and its specialist proposition.

David Eaves, head of #sales at TML, said: “We are looking forward to the addition of both Nicola and Keith to the TML team, as we continue to grow awareness of the business and our specialist lending policy.

“We look forward to working with them in not only enhancing relationships with our key accounts in the Midlands and the South, but also working closely with the broker community to see how we can best support them and evolve our proposition.”

Comings & Goings