JFM Block & Estate Management

I graduated from the University of Surrey having studied Mathematics. My son was already on his way at this relatively early age and so took a job as an assistant property manager at a firm in Richmond-Upon-Thames. I thought at the time it would be a temporary role.

Before I knew it three years had passed and I had progressed rapidly to the point that I felt there was little opportunity to move on further in the company. I changed employers therefore and made my move into London’s West-end, getting involved in managing a whole different type of property.

Not having ever studied maths with the intention to work in block management, I left the industry and went into the City for three years doing a number of things based in financial sales. But ultimately I realised that I missed doing the thing that I’d stumbled into by accident.

So back to North London and another three firms of managing agents later, I was a senior manager and partner in a company of 60 staff in charge of all Health & Safety compliance across the company, as well as a director of a subsidiary company which had been set up to oversee all shared resources. The experience I gained was invaluable, so much so that the prospect of taking all I had learned from the industry and applying it differently really started to appeal.

After working in five firms spanning a decade, I had seen enough of the good, the bad, and the downright ugly, to know exactly what the vision for JFM would be. I’m excited for the future, as change is coming to the leasehold sector, and we aim to be at the forefront of the new era.

I’m a native Londoner, having grown up in East Finchley, in the borough of Barnet. I am now settled in Reading, Berkshire. After graduating from Reading University with a degree in History & Philosophy, I went to work for the family construction business. I guess it was here where the seeds of my property career were sown.

In 2007 I joined a large independent managing agent based in North London and quickly rose through the ranks to become responsible for a diverse residential portfolio. Five years later I had become an experienced practitioner with detailed knowledge of each of the main client types in the business. In addition, I achieved full membership of the IRPM and qualified as an Associate Surveyor through the RICS.

Between November 2012 and March 2015 I worked for a firm of chartered surveyors based in Camden Town. It was here that I developed my technical ability and acquired a reputation for being very astute in legal matters. As a Senior Manager at the firm, I was also responsible for the company’s training programmes for junior staff members. In August 2014 I represented the company at the Competition & Markets Authority review of the sector.

I feel lucky to be part of JFM. The company grew from a single ethical aim to give home-owners a better deal in a difficult environment. The market-place is changing for the better and I am proud to be part of that change.