Lease Conference 2010

Speaker Biographies

Keynote Speakers:

Lord Neuberger

Master of the Rolls

The Rt. Hon. Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury (in the county of Dorset) was appointed as Master of the Rolls with effect from 1^st October 2009.

The Master of the Rolls is the Head of Civil Justice, and the second most senior judicial post in England and Wales, after the Lord Chief Justice.

Lord Neuberger was born on 10 January 1948, and educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford University. After working at NM Rothschild & Sons 1970-73, he was called to the Bar (Lincoln’s Inn) in 1974. He was made a Bencher for Lincoln’s Inn in 1993.

He was appointed as a Queen’s Counsel in 1987, and his first judicial appointment was as a Recorder, between 1990 and 1996. In 1996 he was appointed as a High Court Judge in the Chancery Division. He was the Supervisory Chancery Judge for the Midland, Wales and Chester and Western Circuits for 2000-04.

In January 2004 he was appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal. In January 2007 he was appointed as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (a ‘Law Lord’) and given a life peerage.

Lord Neuberger led an investigation for the Bar Council into widening access to the barrister profession. He also served on the panel on fair access to the professions led by Alan Milburn.

Anthony Radevsky

Barrister

Falcon Chambers

Tony Radevsky practises in the law of commercial and residential landlord and tenant and real property, including property related professional negligence. His main specialism is leasehold enfranchisement (including the right of first refusal), being the co-author of the leading textbooks.

He has appeared in many reported decisions, including two recent cases in the House of Lords; one for a landlord on the meaning of “house”, the other for lessees on who are qualifying tenants of flats.

Hugh Seaborn

Chief Executive

The Cadogan Estate

Hugh Seaborn joined The Cadogan Estate as Chief Executive from Christmas 2008. Prior to this he was Chief Executive and Agent to the Trustees of The Portman Estate where he worked for 9 years. During this time he repositioned Portman as an active and committed landlord and investor.

Before heading up The Portman Estate, Hugh spent 9 years with CB Richard Ellis, latterly as Director & Head of Investment Management where amongst other things, he was responsible for investment portfolios on behalf of a variety of clients including institutions and property companies.

Hugh is a Chartered Surveyor, past Chairman of the Westminster Property Association, a member of the Council of the Duchy of Lancaster and a Non Executive Director of TR Property Investment Trust plc. He was previously a Member of the London Board of Royal and Sun Alliance – an advisory group.

Gary Murphy

Equity Partner of Allsop

Gary Murphy is an Equity Partner of Allsop based at their Residential Office at Moreau House, 116 Brompton Road, London SW3 1JJ.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and has a Law degree.

He has been responsible for the running and expansion of the Residential Auction Department of Allsop since 1986. The Department is now the largest residential auction house in the UK selling 3118 lots and raising £390m in 2008/09.

He is currently Vice-Chair of the Auctioneering Group of the RICS and is also a member of the RICS Estate Agency Group. Formerly, Gary has served as Chair and Vice-Chair of the ISVA Auctioneering Committee and Chair of the RICS Agency Skills Panel.

As a consultant to the British Property Federation, he has suggested amendments to the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 to enable landlords to sell qualifying investments more easily by auction sale. These suggestions have been enacted as Schedule 6 of the Housing Act 1996.

Gary is also the author of many articles in regular trade press, charity auctioneer, and regular speaker at professional conferences and seminars (including the Blundell Memorial Lectures).

He has been an Equity Partner of Allsop since 1991. He is married with two sons and a daughter and lives in Berkshire. He comes from a property family, his father and grandfather both having been auctioneers.

Trevor Moross

Joint Managing Director

Dorrington plc

Trevor Moross has been involved in the residential property industry since graduating from ReadingUniversity in 1975 when he joined Dorrington’s parent company Hanover Acceptances Ltd. He is responsible for the residential property interests of Dorrington PLC, where he is Joint Managing Director.

Trevor is a past President of The British Property Federation. He currently serves on the Board of the BPF. He is a well known spokesman on residential property investment matters. Trevor is a Governor of the Dolphin Square Foundation, a board member of The Leasehold Advisory Service, and of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the renowned orchestra, of which he is currently Chairman.

Trevor also serves on the Advisory Board of Zoopla, the residential property portal and CWM Retail Property Advisory.

Panel Speakers:

Ian Fletcher

Director of Policy (Real Estate)

British Property Federation

Ian Fletcher is the British Property Federation’s Director of Policy for Real Estate. Ian’s brief at the BPF covers a wide range of housing, development and landlord and tenant issues. His successes include the industry’s campaign against possible legislative intervention on upward only lease terms, work on the pan-industry campaign for REITs, and allowing collective investment schemes to invest in residential property via self-invested personal pensions. He is a Board member of the National Approved Lettings Scheme (NALS), Council member of The Dispute Service and sits on the London Mayor’s Housing Forum and editorial board of ROOF – the housing magazine.

Gerry Fox

Head of Compliance

Peverel Property Management

Gerry is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and has been in practice for over 40 years and is Head of Compliance of Peverel Property Management.

For over 20 years Gerry has been actively involved with the RICS and has chaired many Committees and Working Parties, including:-

RICS Management Code Working Party
Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Working Party

Gerry was the founder Chairman of the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) and a Council Member since its formation.

He has given talks on management, service charges and related legislation, written books and articles and made broadcasts and training video and audio tapes.

Bob Smytherman

Chairman

Federation of Private Residents' Association

Bob Smytherman has been a committee member of the FPRA for over 5 years and become Chairman during 2008 following the resignation of Muriel Guest-Smith after many years at the helm.

Bob has been a director of his own residents’ association since 1992, taking over as chairman in 1995 and was instrumental in removing a number of ineffective managing agents and now self-manages the estate as a committee, saving on agent’s fees, which has enabled them to spend more on the estate itself.

Bob was also responsible for challenging the RMC lease with the freeholder for building insurance and as a result are now free to purchase their own policy.

Roger J Southam BSc (Hons) FRICS MIRPM

Chairman and Chief Executive

Chainbow

Roger Southam founded Chainbow in 1989 and has become a well known industry figure throughout the residential and commercial property management sectors. As a regular panellist for industry focused groups for RICS, British Property Federation, Bank of England, HM Revenue & Customs, Department of Communities and Local Government and Chartered Surveyors Training Trust, Roger aims to bring about industry change to make managing agents more accountable and protect the rights of homeowners and leaseholders.

Roger has more than 30 years experience in the property industry. Initially Chainbow was founded as a property investment company, specialising in shopping centre and mixed-use asset management. In 2006, it moved into residential block management.

Discussion Session Speakers:

David Dalby

FRICS

David Dalby is a Chartered Surveyor with 40 years experience in the UK residential market.

He joined the RICS in July 2008 as the Residential Director, responsible for the development of standards and providing guidance on all aspects of the residential property market in both the public and private sectors, including sales & lettings, valuations & surveys, and management.

Prior to joining RICS he was a practicing Surveyor working mainly in the survey & valuation and agency fields. He was formerly Deputy Chairman of the RICS Regulatory Board, and a member of the CML Valuation Panel. He continues to sit on the ABBE Examination Panel.

Prof James Driscoll

Professor James Driscoll is a solicitor, an author and a Lawyer Chair at the Residential Property Tribunal. For 20 years he was a consultant solicitor with Trowers & Hamlins specialising in housing law. A prolific author of books and articles, he is the Consultant Editor to Butterworths Residential Landlord and Tenant Handbook (5th ed, 2010), Halsbury’s Laws (vol 22 ‘Housing’, new edition due in 2011) and he has written several other books and loose-leaf works. James is a consultant editor to the Landlord and Tenant Reports and he contributes articles to the Estates Gazette, the New Law Journal and other publications.

Jennifer Ellis

FRICS

Jennifer leads our Leasehold Reform team, and also overseas our residential management department. She is one of the most respected expert valuers in the leasehold reform field and unusually amongst the top echelon she has given evidence to the Lands Tribunal and to Leasehold Valuation Tribunals (LVTs) for both landlords and tenants.

Jennifer specialises in the analysis of complex property valuation problems and has pioneered techniques to value intermediate landlord's interests. She is the author of two chapters in "Statutory Valuations" (Baum and Sams) on the Leasehold Reform Act, assisted editing of the 4th edition of "Hague on Leasehold Reform"

Anthony Essien

Chief Executive of LEASE

Anthony Essien is the Chief Executive of LEASE, an accredited mediator and a non-practising Barrister. Before becoming Chief Executive he was LEASE’s Principal Legal Advisor. He has recently been a member of CLG’s Task and Finish Group examining the Rugg Review and the regulation of managing agents and its Service Charge work stream project with HM Treasury reviewing the Housing Revenue Account.

Bruce Maunder Taylor

Bruce Maunder Taylor is well known in Leasehold Reform Act circles and frequently delivers talks on particular valuation issues.

Bruce was one of the expert witnesses who gave evidence on Hope Value to the Lands Tribunal in Culley v Daejan. He will review that evidence and discuss tactics which are being developed by both landlords and lessees to either gain most or lose least as a result of the Hope Value decisions.

Andrew McKeer

MRICS FIRPM

Director Prior Estates Limited

Andrew recently passed 30 years in property management and is still taken by surprise every week by new legislation and lack of understanding by lessees, Directors and Freeholders.

His recent appearance on Watchdog enforced his cynicism of the media and the messages they wish to portray of our business sector.

Philip Rainey QC

Tanfield Chambers

Philip is a barrister and head of the property group at Tanfield Chambers. Leasehold Enfranchisement, Rights of First Refusal, Right to Manage, Commonhold and Service Charges are among his particular specialisms. Philip appeared as Counsel in some of leading cases in enfranchisement, including Howard de Walden v Aggio and Cadogan v Sportelli in the House of Lords and Nailrile v Cadogan in the Lands Tribunal. Philip won “Real Estate Junior of the Year” at the Chambers Bar Awards 2009.

Philip is a co-author of the new second edition of “Service Charges and Management: Law and Practice” (Sweet & Maxwell 2009), and a co-author of “Rent Review” (RICS books 2008)