Property People: New hire at property litigation business; Construction director joins house builder; and more

Tamara Obihele has joined growing property litigation firm, Hägen Wolf.

She will support a national team of experienced lawyers working across a wide range of sectors.

Obihele joins the firm from Walker Morris LLP as a paralegal. She brings a wealth of experience in issuing and managing possession claims and working closely with letting agents referrers and private landlords to provide on-demand support.

Matt Pugh, the managing partner of Hägen Wolf, said: “Tamara joins the firm at an exciting time as we grow our client base nationally. She is a hugely talented addition to the team, and we look forward to supporting her career.”

Obihele will assist Hägen Wolf lawyers with disclosure, legal research and trial preparation on larger cases. She is a graduate of Leeds University.

Hägen Wolf is a specialist property litigation firm that operates nationally from offices in Leeds and London.

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Robert Kerr, from Rotherham, has joined the Leeds-based Harron Homes Yorkshire executive team as construction director.

He has almost four decades experience in the construction industry. Kerr, 54, was most recently construction director at a Bradford based housebuilder.

He said he was attracted to Harron Homes because of the high specification of the properties it builds and the opportunity the role offered to develop the construction and customer care teams to further improve customer satisfaction.

He added: “It’s a very exciting time for the business and I’m eager to use my skills to drive Harron Homes towards its future goals.”

Noel Adams, managing director for Harron Homes Yorkshire, said: “Bob’s wealth of experience means he was an obvious choice for the post.

“Our operational area boasts some of the UK’s most attractive locations, some of its richest history and some of its most charming communities.

“I am proud to say the company has experienced great success over the past two decades years bringing high quality, family homes to these areas and with Bob’s input we look forward to playing our part in meeting the continued demand.”

When he’s not on site, Kerr enjoys both playing and watching football, and spending time with his family – wife Julie and daughters Lauren and Emily.

Harron Homes is currently building a range of executive homes across Yorkshire, from Harrogate to Barnsley and Huddersfield to Howden, including a number of developments due to launch in 2020 in Pocklington and Carlton.

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Property developer HBD has hired Chris Newsome as senior development surveyor as it targets growth.

HBD enjoyed another successful year in 2019, which saw its pipeline increase from £1bn to £1.6bn and ended with a complete rebrand.

Newsome joins HBD from St Modwen, where he led on the delivery of the regeneration of the 450-acre former MG Rover site at Longbridge.

He brings more than 27-years’ experience, having held roles with Simon Developments and global brands McDonalds and M&S, handling acquisitions across the North.

He will work across HBD’s Manchester and Leeds offices, supporting the expansion of its commercial development pipeline across the North.

Tom Wheldon, director at HBD, said: “It’s fantastic to have Chris on board – he brings an enormous amount of experience and will be a real asset to the business as we launch our new Leeds office and explore exciting new development opportunities across Yorkshire and the North East.”

Newsome said: “It’s great to be joining at such an exciting time for the business – I look forward to working with the team to secure new development opportunities, while delivering the well-designed, high-quality schemes that have become synonymous with HBD.”

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A Harrogate estate agent has strengthened its team with the appointment of sales negotiator, Karin Fritz, and has also promoted sales negotiator, Georgie Williams, to sales manager at the Albert Street office of Dacre Son and Hartley.

Fritz, who is originally from Austria, has multi-national estate agency experience, a keen focus on customer service and joins the experienced team of five in Harrogate town centre.

Williams joined Dacres from Bradford Grammar School, nearly four years ago, as a customer services sales representative at the head office in Ilkley.

She soon progressed to sales negotiator level. Moving to Harrogate in 2017, Williams has successfully negotiated the sale of every property type, from small one bedroom apartments to large detached homes and estates. She passed The National Federation of Property Professionals (NFoPP) qualifications in 2017.

Fritz said: “I’ve lived in the UK for 26 years but returned to Austria in 2017 to work at an estate agency business. Returning to Harrogate in 2018, I was keen join a firm with an excellent reputation. My role will be mainly office based at first, as well as carrying out viewings and helping buyers to identify potential homes.”

Williams said: “I started working for Dacres in Ilkley after a few months studying at The University of Manchester. I originally planned to go back after deferring for a year, but once I started work, I enjoyed it so much and could see the opportunities and training available, so I decided to pursue a career in property.

“The firm’s Albert Street location is a busy office, and after Christmas and the General Election the market has really picked up. We are seeing lots of positive activity. I had an offer within just four days of bringing a property on Valley Road onto the market, and negotiated and agreed the sale at 99% of the asking price after receiving multiple offers.

“We have seen a real marked increase in both enquiries from buyers and vendors, and I am confident this will continue throughout 2020.”

Dacre, Son & Hartley’s area director, Paul Baxter, said: “Georgie is a real asset to the firm. Bright, efficient and highly capable she delivers on service and thoroughly deserves her promotion.

“Karin is an experienced pair of hands who always puts the customer first – and that’s something we pride ourselves on at Dacres.

“Georgie, Karin, our other sales negotiator Victoria Anderson, and area lettings manager Sophie Tillisch, are a fantastic team who are all hugely committed to getting the very best results for our customers.”