People: Harris Lamb; Midland Heart; Telford College

Maqsood Begum

Harris Lamb has expanded its property management team with the appointment of Maqsood Begum, who joins the business as an associate.

Begum brings a strong background within commercial property management, having previously held positions at Savills, JLL and most recently as regional estates manager for Travelodge.

She joins Harris Lamb’s 14-strong management team, based at the business’ Brindleyplace office.

Further to securing a master’s degree in real estate management at Birmingham City University in 2009, Maqsood launched her commercial property career as a graduate surveyor with Severn Trent Water and held positions at DTZ and JLL prior to spending seven years at Savills as a senior surveyor within the business’ property management team.

Having joined Travelodge in 2022, Maqsood was part of the organisation’s estates management team overseeing all estates matters across the UK hotel portfolio, leading on several significant projects including a review of the telecoms portfolio, fibre upgrades, sublet recharges, EPC and EV charging.​

Shirley Greenlees, director of the property management team, said: “We are delighted to welcome Maqsood to the business. She has hit the ground running since joining our team with a comprehensive understanding of property management across a variety of portfolios, encompassing everything from service charge budget preparation and reconciliation to health and safety compliance and arrears recovery action recommendation, making her a key asset to our multi-disciplined business.”

Begum said: “I wanted to join a company where I felt like I could make a difference to the organisation but also become a valued member of the business and I believe that I will achieve this with Harris Lamb. Harris Lamb has a great reputation within the industry, and I wanted my next role to be with an established business where I would have the opportunity to utilise my existing skills and access to the right support to grow my career.”

 

Midland Heart, the social landlord managing 35,000 homes, has appointed Daren Nowlan as its new Executive Director of Tenancy Services.

He will take up the role in February 2025.

Nowlan, currently housing director at Sanctuary Housing, brings over eight years of experience in the role and a career that includes leadership positions at Oadby and Wigston Council.

He succeeds David Taylor, who announced his retirement last year after 16 years with Midland Heart.

Taylor will continue to lead the Tenancy Services Directorate until April, ensuring a smooth transition during the handover.

Glenn Harris, chief executive of Midland Heart said: “Daren brings a wealth of experience to his new role that will help us build on the great work done by David and the tenancy services team as we enter our new corporate plan. Daren joins us on the eve of the biggest-ever investment in our existing homes and as we seek to significantly improve our digital offering to tenants, both of which he will be fundamental in the delivery of. We are extremely thankful for the contribution David has made to our organisation, our colleagues and our tenants over the last 16 years. All of us at Midland Heart wish him the very best for the future.”

 

Telford College’s new apprenticeship manager says he is looking forward to making a ‘meaningful impact’ on the lives of students, employers and the wider community.

Tom Ruston has more than a decade of experience working in the apprenticeship sector across the West Midlands.

He trained as an apprentice in Sandwell as a 17-year-old and has since held senior positions with Black Country-based organisations Juniper Training and Nova Training.

Tom Ruston

He said: “In recent times we have seen a growing debate around the role of apprenticeships versus university studies, and I believe that if a job role doesn’t require a degree, you should do an apprenticeship. And with apprenticeships ever expanding, there are more and more opportunities. There is a generational mindset that apprenticeships are for the less academic – this isn’t the case, there’s much more to an apprenticeship than this.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the success of the college’s apprenticeship programmes and make a meaningful impact on the lives of students, employers, and the wider community. My business development experience has included the account management of large apprenticeship levies, making sure it is used to deliver the right sort of learners, and right levels of service.”

In his new role at Telford College, Ruston will be involved in quality assurance processes, supporting the college’s apprenticeship team, and gathering and monitoring feedback from employers to ensure continuous improvement.

He will be working closely alongside the college’s business development manager Chris Field to assess the training needs of local employers and explore opportunities for offering new courses to meet their demands.

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