Property factoring firm Newton Property Management has appointed Karen Trickett as its new chief executive.
An experienced board executive, she joins from Golden Charter, where she was chief commercial officer.
Trickett began her career in marketing roles with Britvic Soft Drinks and then Hasbro, before joining the Havas Group agency working with clients including Cadbury and Tetley. Prior to Golden Charter, she was the chief executive of marketing consultancy Tangible.
Stephen O’Neill, chair and founder of Newton, said: “12 months ago, we took an introspective look at the business, and realised we needed to change things up to reach our ambitious financial and operating goals over the next five to 10 years.
“We want to combine best practice from across the business scene with a laser focus on customer experience, Karen fits the bill here and we’re very excited to have her on board.”
He added: “In many ways, the residential property management sector remains stuck in the past and could be almost be considered Dickensian, so it was important for us to make a hire that illustrates our desire to be more diverse - and by diversity, we mean diversity of business experience as much as we mean a question of gender.”
Trickett said: “We are already engaged in looking at all our customer touch points to see how we can improve customer experience, including how technology can enable improvement in the space.
“Building on double-digit revenue growth in recent years, Newton plans to continue growing at pace, organically and by acquisition.
“We are in a fragmented market, with a real opportunity to be a main player in the consolidation going on with a brand centred on customer service, and engendering the people-first and values driven approach that Stephen has built up over the years.”
In June, Newton announced a 9% increase in revenue to £3.78m in 2021, backed by transactional turnover of over £20m.
The firm, founded in 2001, now manages 28,000 properties across Scotland, with offices in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Inverness.
It advises developers and homeowners across Scotland, with its Granite Tenement Management service in Aberdeen running since the merger with Watt & Co Property Management in 2015.
O’Neill previously founded O’Neill Letting in 1995, going on to sell the business in 2001.
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