APW Property appoints new area manager
Alexandra Crocker has been appointed to role of area manager at APW Property, part of the John D Wood & Co. network owned by Countrywide.
Crocker, who has been with the business for seven years, will oversee operations at APW Property in Cobham and Weybridge.
Crocker began her journey with the business as a lettings manager with John D Wood & Co. in Richmond. She later became senior head of lettings in Cobham and Wimbledon, before her latest appointment joining APW Property as area manager.
She said: “I’m excited to take on this new challenge alongside our excellent teams in Cobham and Weybridge. Having spent years building relationships within these areas, I look forward to strengthening our presence, delivering the exceptional service APW Property is known for, and further growing the business’s leading market share.”
Tanya Hasking, head of lettings at John D Wood & Co., added: “Her [Crocker’s] leadership skills, deep market knowledge, and commitment to providing outstanding client service make her the perfect choice to lead APW Property in Cobham and Weybridge. We have no doubt that she will continue to drive success and growth in these key markets.”
Savills director named as Yorkshire planning head
Savills has announced the appointment of planning director, Rebecca Housam, as head of its Leeds-based planning team.
Housam will work alongside Jonathan Ainley in the Savills planning team in Manchester to lead the wider Savills planning north team, made up of Leeds and Manchester.
Since joining Savills Leeds in 2012 as a graduate, Housam has progressed through the business. She also sits on the York & North Yorkshire Property Forum Steering Group and the Leeds Property Forum Steering Group.
Housam said: “To be given the opportunity to lead such a high performing and experienced team is a huge privilege. Under Adam’s leadership, we have been instructed on some excellent projects and developed strong relationships across the region, and this is something we want to continue to build upon.”
Jonathan Steele, director and head of regional planning at Savills, commented: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Adam for his outstanding contribution as head of the Leeds planning team for more than a decade, whilst congratulating Rebecca on her new role, which is thoroughly deserved.
“The opportunities to collaborate across a number of sectors and initiatives across the north of the country are significant and I am sure Rebecca will build on the strong reputations that she and the teams have established over the years to ensure that the service we provide our clients remains the best in class.”
The FirstPort Group appoints HR director
The FirstPort Group, a major provider of residential property management services, has appointed Andy Yarker as HR director to lead the people strategy for its 3,000 colleagues based across the UK.
Yarker is responsible for providing strategic oversight across all HR activities, including recruitment, training, wellbeing, equality and diversity and internal communications.
Yarker has spent his career working in the armed forces. Most recently as the chief people and support officer for the British Army’s 1st UK Division of over 30,000 people. He managed multi-disciplinary teams spearheading projects that focused on improving retention, culture and training.
He also worked as a senior mentor at the defence academy of the United Kingdom where he was responsible for mentoring and assessing high performing senior leaders. He also held senior roles focused on workforce planning providing robust strategic oversight to enable organisational decisions on the effective use of resource.
Yarker said: “Through my career in the armed forces, I have worked in extremely complex environments where clear and consistent communications and engagement with all colleagues is vital to success. I have always been passionate about supporting others in their work and career, whilst making sure they understand the wider business strategy. I look forward to working alongside FirstPort’s talented leaders to create an environment that supports our diverse workforce and contributes to making FirstPort the trusted property management company of choice.”
Martin King, MD of The FirstPort Group, commented: “Andy displays the characteristics of an action-focused HR Director who has experience in leading significant change across large teams. His military background gives him a unique perspective, with transferable skills that will help us develop our HR offer so that it meets the needs of our changing industry and for the benefit of our customers. I look forward to working with Andy to create an industry-leading strategy.”
Comings & Goings
