Property people: Bramall Properties Ltd; 54North Homes; and more

Harrogate-based property and investment company, Bramall Properties Ltd, has appointed Jonathan Duck to its Board as property director.

Having already spent nine years with Bramall Group, he joins the Board alongside founder and chairman Tony Bramall, managing director Miles Chilton, and company secretary Alison Lockwood.

Duck is a highly experienced commercial property professional with over 35 years of industry experience.

He previously worked with the estates team at British Rail Property Board before joining Sanderson Weatherall where he spent 27 years.

As a board director at Bramall Properties he will take a more strategic role in managing the property portfolio.

He will specifically lead the company’s real estate management and asset management programme across sectors including industrial, retail, leisure, office and automotive.

Tony Bramall, said: “Over the last nine years Jonathan has made a considerable contribution to become a valued team member and a real asset to the business.

“He will be instrumental in helping us to realise maximum value for our portfolio of property assets and future acquisitions programme.

“Indeed, we are seeking opportunities to invest in new properties and development projects including private and public securities through our Guernsey Investments finance third party property development fund.”

Bramall Group owns a diverse £300m portfolio of commercial real estate, arable land, forestry, property developments and financial securities.

The group is family-owned and is led by Tony Bramall. Over the last six decades he has built and exited two public companies while overseeing the growth of the group and funding a charitable trust which has supported a variety of good causes for the last 30 years.

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Natasha Babar-Evans

Yorkshire social housing provider, 54North Homes, has appointed two new board members, Natasha Babar-Evans and Dave Richmond.

Babar-Evans is CEO at Better Connect, a non-profit organisation which leads programmes aiming to create a Yorkshire where every person is empowered to thrive in their life and work.

She has previously worked for charities and social enterprises, all with the aim of supporting the growth of people and businesses across Yorkshire.

She is a committee member of the Employment and Skills Committee for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and a steering group member of the North Yorkshire Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector Health and Care Assembly, as well as a trustee of Trust Leeds.

Her background is in law and banking, having previously worked as a banking lawyer at Walker Morris and as regional sales director and client services director at Lloyds Bank.

Richmond is currently chief executive of St Leger Homes in Doncaster.

He has had a 40-year career in Local Government, spending the early part of his career in social care, leading Hull City Council’s safeguarding services, before becoming director of housing at Rotherham and Hull Councils.

Steve Secker, chair of the 54North Homes board, said: “I look forward to working closely with both Natasha and Dave over the coming months and years.

“Our board is made up of members from diverse backgrounds who together provide a breadth of experience and ideas to help guide and shape the organisation.

Dave Richmond

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to recognise the dedication and commitment of Mike Gaskell, vice chair of 54North Homes (and previous chair of LYHA) and Simon Edwards who have both recently stepped down from the board having completed their maximum six-year terms.

“We’d like to thank them for all their hard work and wish them well in their future endeavours.”

54North Homes owns and manages nearly 4,000 homes throughout Yorkshire.

The organisation was formed out of a merger between York Housing Association and Leeds & Yorkshire Housing Association in December 2022 and is a subsidiary of the Karbon Homes Group.

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Yorkshire property firm, Dacre, Son & Hartley, has made five promotions across its residential, agricultural and customer service divisions this month, as well as a director level promotion in its specialist commercial division, Dacres Commercial.

Laura Nicholas and Zoe Harrison have both been promoted to associate, Anita Rydings is now a senior sales negotiator, Will Shakeshaft-Gee has become a sales negotiator and Ed Pawley has been made a director of Dacres Commercial.

Pawley joined Dacres Commercial in 2021 as a senior associate. He now carries out valuations, rent reviews and lease renewals, as well as advising on investment transactions, spanning all types of healthcare property including GP surgeries, medical centres and pharmacies.

He covers an extensive area spanning Yorkshire and into the North West, Midlands and down the M1 corridor.

Nicholas joined Dacres in 2015 as a customer services representative and is also a qualified mortgage advisor, which further enhances her understanding of the property market.

In 2022 she was promoted to head of Dacres’ customer services centre, leading the team and working with clients at all stages of their property journey.

She also provides internal training across the firm’s 20 residential offices, located throughout North and West Yorkshire, on best practice requirements and software systems.

Chartered surveyor Harrison has worked as a land agent in Dacres’ agricultural division since 2019.

Harrison, who is a RICS member and registered valuer, handles the sale, valuation and management of agricultural and sporting property throughout the North of England.

Based in the firm’s Harrogate office, she works across a wide portfolio of clients from single farms to some of the finest country estates in the region.

Rydings joined Dacres’ Knaresborough office in 2018 and has a strong track record in sales and a focus on high standards of customer service.

She is a Fellow of the National Association of Estate Agents and has almost 20 years’ experience working in the property sector, after starting her career in commercial property in Leeds, before becoming property manager at The Harewood Estate and then moving into residential sales.

Shakeshaft-Gee joined Dacres’ Burley-in-Wharfedale office in 2022 as a sales assistant.

After developing in the role for the last 18 months he has enjoyed numerous sales successes throughout Burley and the surrounding area.

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacres, said: “Ed, Anita, Laura, Zoe and William are all integral members of our team, with their own specialisms, who work across different divisions and areas within the business.

“They’re all very hardworking and go above and beyond to deliver the best results for our clients, and therefore they thoroughly deserve their promotions.”

David Ogilvie, who heads Dacres Commercial, added: “Ed’s promotion is recognition of his strong performance since joining Dacres Commercial and the key role he has played in helping to drive forward the expansion of our highly regarded healthcare department.”