People: Women in Property; Cameron Homes; Benelux

Women in Property (WiP) has announced its new Midlands Chair for 2025-26.

Kezia Smart, senior surveyor at BNP Paribas Real Estate takes on the role from March 1st, for one year.

Smart is a senior surveyor at BNP Paribas Real Estate in Birmingham, working within the property management department.

She holds an MSci degree in Geography from the University of Birmingham and an MSc degree in real estate management from the University College of Estates Management.

She has been a qualified member of the RICS since 2020 and has been involved in Women in Property for the last five years.

She said: “I am honoured to be appointed Branch Chair of the Women in Property Midlands committee. WiP’s ethos is about prioritising and empowering people, driving greater gender parity in the industry, and fostering a more inclusive and understanding society. These values align closely with BNP Paribas Real Estate’s Building Belonging Promises, reinforcing our commitment to creating a workplace and industry where everyone can thrive.

“That’s why I’m so proud to champion the work WiP’s committees do to advance its core initiatives—including Schools Outreach, Inclusion, Mentoring, and the National Student Awards—helping to break down barriers and create opportunities for all. This year, our National Chair’s theme, People and Community First, places even greater focus on social mobility and access to the profession, something we’ll champion through our events, partnerships, and messaging in the year ahead.”

Women in Property is also welcoming its new branch vice chair, Janet Rowley, associate director at Lichfields, who will be supporting Kezia in the coming year, before taking on the Branch Chair role in March 2026.

Midlands-based homebuilder, Cameron Homes, has announced three new appointments: Izzy Thompson as regional sales manager, James Arrowsmith as production manager and Richard Cowie as technical director.

Izzy Thompson

Izzy Thompson brings a wealth of experience having worked in the industry since 2008.

Thompson joins from Redrow and brings over 15 years of sales manager experience, having also previously worked for Bloor Homes.

She said: “While the industry has evolved over the years, my love for the role has remained. I feel truly privileged to have a job I genuinely enjoy.

“I’m excited to have joined Cameron Homes at such a pivotal time, with many new developments on the horizon. I believe my previous experience will allow me to support my colleagues and contribute to the success of these exciting projects.”

James Arrowsmith

Production manager, James Arrowsmith, joined the industry at the age of 16 and has a proven track record of working in the housebuilding industry.

Arrowsmith started his career as a carpenter apprentice with Barratt Homes, achieving apprentice of the year in his final year on the programme.

Since then, he has held senior site manager roles at Barratt Homes, Redrow Homes and Duchy Homes, as well as building manager at Lovell Partnerships.

He said: “I’ve always had a passion for the industry since an early age, following in my grandad’s footsteps as a bricklayer. As soon as I started my apprenticeship, I knew I had made the right decision, and to this day still share the same passion for the industry.”

Richard Cowie

Richard Cowie, technical director, has over two decades of experience having started his career as a junior architectural technician for Alfred McAlpine Homes in 2000.

Cowie previously held the position of technical director at Crest Nicholson, as well as holding a similar role at Keepmoat Homes before joining Cameron Homes at the start of 2025.

He said: “The opportunity to join Cameron Homes appealed to me because of the product, design, quality of the homes and its reputation that has been well established over the last 30 years. There is a trust and family culture that runs through the business, as well as opportunities for me to personally get involved in some exciting new developments as Cameron Homes enters the next phase of its journey.”

Abigail Brooks

After serving as branch manager at local firm Europa Road’s branch at Prologis Park Midpoint in Birmingham for the past three years, Abigail Brooks has been promoted to manager of the Benelux customer service department.

Europa Road, the European road freight division of Europa Worldwide Group, which has sites in Belgium and the Netherlands, has strengthened its service creating a centralised customer service department for the Benelux headed up by Brooks.

Europa Road manages road freight between Belgium and the Netherlands and the UK and has customers across the Benelux, importing and exporting a wide variety of goods.

Regional Sales Manager for Benelux, Jack Baxter: “Abigail will support our Belgium and Netherlands teams as part of our latest strategic investment to further enhance our customer experience in the Benelux. As a business, we prioritise training and development of our team and Abigail has played a key role in the Europa team to date so is the perfect individual to take on this new responsibility.”

Brooks said: “This is an exciting new chapter for me, marking the next stage in my Europa journey. In this new role, I’ll be responsible for customer service across our teams, uniting our branches to guarantee a focused approach for our customers.

“I will be focused solely on helping solve customer supply chain dilemmas, delivering competitive pricing solutions and training and developing our growing customer service team to ensure an expert level of market understanding across the board.”