Programme

Verona Frankish is the CEO of Yopa Property Ltd, a leading estate agency in the UK. Under Verona's leadership, Yopa has expanded its market presence and enhanced its service offerings, making it a trusted name in the real estate sector, which offers a range of options for agents interested in a career in the self-employed space.

Verona's career is marked by a commitment to innovation and excellence, with a proven track record of implementing strategic initiatives that improve customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Verona’s ability to lead diverse teams and foster a collaborative work environment has been key to Yopa's success in recent years. Verona's dedication to the industry, her passion for advocating for women in particular, and her passion for improving the EA landscape for all makes her a prominent figure in the property sector.

With over 38 years of industry experience, Gareth brings a wealth of estate agency, lettings, financial services and digital marketing knowledge to The Property Franchise Group (TPFG).

During his 21-year career at LSL, Gareth was appointed Managing Director of the Your Move brand, which was the largest single brand estate agency in the UK at the time. In this role, he was responsible for Your Move’s franchise operation as well as having overall control of financial services and lettings and the strategy of the brand. Following his successful career at LSL, Gareth became Managing Director of Briefyourmarket.com, where he gained significant digital marketing experience and knowledge, along with several Non-Exec roles within the industry, as well as starting a successful restaurant chain.

Gareth joined TPFG in February 2020 and became CEO on 30 April 2020. As CEO of TPFG, Gareth has overseen significant growth of the business, acquiring Hunters Estate Agency in 2021 and, more recently, Belvoir Group, followed by The Guild and Fine & Country in the first 6 months of 2024. The combined group now operates 18 recognised brands across 1900+ locations, including 65 international locations, making it the largest estate and lettings agent in the UK.

Toby Leek is a distinguished real estate professional with decades of experience navigating the Central and South London property markets. As an Associate of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (AssocRICS) and the President of NAEA Propertymark, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise in the industry. His multifaceted interests and extensive experience make him a valuable contributor to discussions on the evolving landscape of real estate.

Director - MyAuction

Stuart began his career as an estate agent in Bath back in 2003 and made the switch to land and property auctions in 2008 working for a local, independent auction house. Due to his experience within different auction houses throughout his career, he has developed a deep understanding of the auction market and understands the strengths and weaknesses of each discipline whether it be ballroom auctions, traditional or conditional online auctions.

Having worked for and with some of the best auctioneers in the UK, he launched his own traditional online auction house—My Auction—in 2019. My Auction aims to create a fairer market place for buyers and sellers with the ultimate goal of changing the general perception of auctions within the UK property market.

Managing Director - Platts Bonson Licensed Trade Valuers

After working in Commercial Agency and Plant & Machinery Auctioneering in Nottingham for 2 years after leaving university, I have worked in the family business since 1990 as a specialist in Inventory Valuations to the Licensed and Leisure Trade and I have been a member of the Association of Valuers of Licensed Property since 1997.

I had been aware of Propertymark for some time and decided to join in early 2023 as I was attracted to the mission, vision and strategy to promote high professional standards through regulation, accredited and recognised qualifications, an industry-leading training programme and mandatory Continued Professional Development.

Izzie, from Bristol, will be known to many antiques aficionados from her appearances on popular television programmes such as BBC TV's Antiques Road Trip, Flog It!, Bargain Hunt, amongst many others.

Having studied for a gemmology diploma (FGA) and a diamond diploma (DGA) with the Gemmological Association of Great Britain at Birmingham's School of Jewellery and Birmingham’s Assay Office, Izzie was previously the Silver and Jewellery Specialist for a regional auction house. 

She now brings her experience and specialist knowledge to Clevedon Salerooms, where she can be found at our popular valuation days at Stoke Lodge in Bristol, at some of our busy Clevedon valuation days, and will be helping us expand them further afield.

Richard has been selling property for clients since 1986. He was NAVA Propertymark Auctioneer of the Year runner up in 2010. He has been successfully selling property at auction throughout the UK including collective sales in the South West of England and also at the Network Auction sales in Central London.

In addition, he has also conducted a number of “on site auctions” and he brings a wealth of experience, and a passion for selling property at auction.

Rachel has been in management for over 27 years. She has had placements internationally as well as based in the UK. She serves on the ARLA Propertymark Advisory Panel. 

Liana has over 22 years’ experience working in both large corporate and boutique agencies and enjoys the thrill of sharing in client and buyer journeys. She started her career at the largest real estate company in her native Malta, before re-locating to the UK in what was supposed to be a sabbatical. Her experience in 'the most vibrant property market in the world' with one of the leading corporate agencies in London meant she never left.

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With over 20 years in the property sector and a reputation for straight-talking, big-hearted support (and even bigger hair), Nicola helps leaders, recruiters, and high performers cut through the noise, act, and grow on their terms.

After scaling and selling her successful recruitment agency and working at a senior level in the industry, Nicola launched Nota Bene to offer something the sector was missing – real, honest, practical support from someone who has been in the trenches. She now helps leaders and recruiters unlock clarity, act and make confident decisions that stick – no fluff.

Alex heads up the Disputes and Litigation team at Bright Solicitors. He has experience in a wide range of litigation matters and predominately advises clients on contentious property matters such as commercial and residential landlords and tenants in connection with possession claims, dilapidations, and forfeiture. Alex also advises on matters arising from disputed rights of way, boundary issues together with general commercial property matters.

Kevin was born and raised near Easingwold, North Yorkshire. After studying physics at university, he co-founded Hunters Estate Agents in 1992, expanding it into one of the UK's leading estate agencies.

Influenced by his parents' interest in politics, Kevin stood for and was elected MP for Thirsk and Malton in 2015. Since then, he has been very active in Parliament on both national and local issues and held several government roles, including Minister for Small Business from October 2022 to July 2024, most notably Kevin led the Government's action on ensuring compensation for sub-postmasters following the Horizon Scandal. He previously co-chaired the successful APPG on Fair Business Banking from 2018 to 2022, championing efforts against economic crime and corruption.

Kevin is a strong advocate of the small and medium sized business sector and of the North and has been campaigning hard for more investment in Northern roads, rail, digital networks, skills training and private sector investment, which he believes is key to growing the Yorkshire and wider UK economy. Re-elected for the fourth time in July 2024 when he was appointed as the Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, he now serves as Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Lang Llewellyn & Co

With a law degree, a love of Cornwall, 15 years’ lettings experience and a passion for the profession, Sophie is currently a director at Lang Llewellyn & Co.

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Group Lettings Director, Andrews Property Group

She has been working in lettings for her entire career and has been an ARLA Propertymark member since 2015. Angharad is a passionate advocate of raising standards for the lettings industry and encouraging young people to consider a career in lettings. She also won rising star at the Negotiator Awards in 2018 and was shortlisted in the top 100 most inspirational women in the West 2019.

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Paul has spent over 30 years in the legal field helping landlords with problem tenants, starting his career as a clerk, then private investigator, debt collector and certified bailiff. In 1999, he set up Landlord Action to put this expertise to good use, specialising in fixed-fee property recovery and tenant eviction in England and Wales.

He has since become a key figure throughout the property industry, hosting seminars, running training courses, and working with leading websites, forums and magazines to offer professional advice and guidance on everything from legislative changes to growing a property business. Known in the industry as ‘The Landlord's Friend’. He regularly appears in the national press, radio and television, with previous productions including War at the Door, Meet the Landlords, Inside Out and The One Show, ITV’s Tenants From Hell, as well as BBC, ITV and Channel 4 News.

Most recently, Paul and his team at Landlord Action have featured regularly in Channel Five’s hit series ‘Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords’ (2015 – 2022). Paul has also co-hosted ‘The Property Hour’ with Clive Bull on LBC Radio, and regularly contributes his expert guidance on BBC Radio London’s Drivetime with Eddie Nestor.

Timothy joined Propertymark in July 2015 and leads on the organisation’s policy and campaigns activity across Westminster, the devolved parliaments, and local authorities. He recently authored Propertymark’s The Future of Renting position paper and wrote Propertymark’s best practice guidance to help agents operate during the pandemic. He also created the policy proposals for the Leasehold: A Life Sentence research report.

Before Propertymark, Timothy worked as a political advisor in Westminster for a former Business Minister and Government Whip and spent a period of time as a Caseworker and Researcher for Members of the European Parliament.

With nearly 25 years of experience, Gary has a wealth of expertise in training, assessment, and qualifications, having worked extensively in both the education and awarding sectors. His deep understanding of industry standards, regulatory requirements, and best practices makes him a key figure in ensuring high-quality education and professional development.

Gary started as an apprentice in the Army, where he gained firsthand experience in structured training and development. Now, he plays a pivotal role in overseeing all education-related activities within Propertymark. Linking with Propertymark Qualifications, the regulated awarding body, he is responsible for overseeing the maintenance of the rigorous qualification standards and facilitating continuous improvement in educational offerings.

He is committed to enhancing accessibility and effectiveness in learning, streamlining processes to provide a seamless experience and continues to shape the future of professional education, ensuring that learners gain the knowledge, skills, and qualifications needed for success in their professional property agency careers.