Estate Agencies & Brokerages

Knight Frank has named Rory Penn as its next Senior Partner & Group Chair, to succeed William Beardmore-Gray next year. Penn joined the firm in 2018, following its acquisition of VanHan, and is currently Head of London Residential Sales, Chair of the Global Private Office, and a member of KF’s UK Board. He will join the Group Executive Board in April 2026, beginning a year-long transition ahead of taking on the top job in April 2027. Beardmore-Gray is due to retire from the partnership in March 2027, after 36 years with the firm.
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Savills has a new leader, with former CFO Simon Shaw installed as Group Chief Executive Officer from 1st January 2026. He has taken over from Mark Ridley, who retired at the end of 2025. Nick Sanderson of Great Portland Estates will join Savills as Group Chief Financial Officer in the Spring of 2026.
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Rural property specialist Gemma Chandler has stepped up to lead Savills’ longstanding Oxford office, taking charge of the 120-strong team. Chandler has been with the firm for 11 years, and based in Oxford since 2021. Richard Binning, who has been running Savills’ Oxford office for the last seven years, was recently appointed to the Savills UK board, representing the rural division. He continues to base his work between Oxford and London, providing rural agency consultancy.
At the same time, Savills Director Jonathan Latham has been appointed to lead the Cardiff office, succeeding Chris Potts, who will step back from day-to-day leadership but continue to spearhead the agency’s sports and major leisure service line.
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Seasoned super-prime property advisor Simon Barnes has joined UK Sotheby’s International Realty in London. Barnes ran an eponymous boutique property agency for more than 25 years, then joined Daniel Daggers’ DDRE Global network at the start of last year. He is now a Senior Director and Consultant at UK SIR, based on Conduit Street.
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UK Sotheby’s International Realty has also hired super-prime Surrey specialist Ben Hehir as Sales Director, to be based between the Cobham office and Mayfair headquarters. Hehir moves from Savills, where he spent the last nine years, becoming an Associate Director in the Country House Department.
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Strutt & Parker has continued to bolster its line-up in Prime Central London, recruiting Zach Madison from UK Sotheby’s International Realty, where he spent two years following more than a decade at Savills. He is now focusing on high-value property sales in the area around Marylebone, Regent’s Park, Little Venice and Primrose Hill.
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Nicky Stevenson has re-taken the reins as Managing Director of upper-end estate agency Fine & Country following maternity leave. It’s a “seamless leadership transition” from Interim MD Jonathan Handford, declares the firm.
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Fine & Country has opened a new office in Newbury, Berkshire, led by ex-Belvoir agent and new F&C licensee Tim Hughes. The team also includes Property & Sales Consultant Simonie Westacott, and Property Manager & Consultant Anne-Marie Lynch.
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Property broker network Harding Green, which recently acquired rival business The London Broker, has bought the assets of North London boutique estate agency Laurence Leigh Residential. LLR founder Laurence Leigh has joined Harding Green as Partner.
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Private equity-backed estate agency group Lomond has appointed Neil McGimpsey, an alumnus of Foxtons and Druce & Co, as its new Chief Operating Officer. He replaces Lucy Jones, who will step down at the end of 2025 after five years in the role to “pursue new opportunities”.
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Lomond has acquired one of Edinburgh’s longest-established lettings agents, Littlejohns, which has been operating since 1879. The business will now be “incorporated” into Lomond’s flagship Scottish brand, DJ Alexander, as owner Ian Shand retires.
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Chestertons has bought boutique online sales and lettings firm, that operates a “substantial” portfolio of rental homes across London. Richmond-based W Property Consultants was set up in 2018 by London-born business partners Wai Yee Shing and Wai Yee Tang.
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Foxtons has moved into a new HQ in west London, moving across the road from Building 1 to Building 12 in Chiswick Business Park.
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American luxury brokerage Douglas Elliman is accelerating its international rollout, extending its footprint to some of Europe’s top ski markets. The firm has followed up on recent launches in the South of France and Monaco with a move on Chamonix and Morzine. The Mont Blanc-based outpost is being led by UHNW specialists Philippe Curutchet, Fredrik Lilloe and Edward de Mallet Morgan. Alpine specialists Matt Edelsten and Andy Symington have also joined the DE team.
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Buying Agencies

Savills-owned buying agency Prime Purchase has hired Gemma Maclaran as director to boost its coverage in the Cotswolds. Maclaran moves from Middleton Advisors, where she spend eight years following a seven-year stint at Douglas & Gordon.
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Developers

Knight Dragon has installed a new CEO to lead the 150-acre Greenwich Peninsula regeneration in East London. Qualified lawyer Emilie Giles joins from real estate and hospitality firm CTF Development International, which operates brands including Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. Giles takes over as CEO from former CIT boss Matt Hawkins, who has been in charge for the last two years but is now off “to pursue new opportunities.”
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Trade Bodies

CBRE veteran Nick Maclean has been officially installed as the 144th President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, having been Acting President since March 2025. Susanne Eickerman-Riepe has stepped up as Senior Vice President, and Maureen Ehrenberg becomes President Elect, having been Senior Vice President in 2025.
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