National Chartered Surveyor firm Bruton Knowles has made another key appointment within its National Valuation Team, to drive the use of innovative technology and continue to support wider business growth and success.
James Foley will join Bruton Knowles as Client Services Manager for its National Valuation Team at the firm’s Birmingham office, focusing on delivering an outstanding service to clients through driving operational excellence and embracing the use of technology to streamline processes.
The National Valuation Team was launched in July 2020, to reflect the growing demand from clients to deliver secured loan RICS Red Book valuations across an ever-increasing geographical area demand, delivering to a range of national banks, building societies and specialist lenders.
The team was one of the key factors which contributed to the business thriving during the pandemic, bringing in a predicted 30 per cent increase in valuation income for its year-end.
Now in a strategic move to strengthen the skills and services available within the team, James has been appointed and will utilise his 10 years’ experience as Head of UK Corporate Operations at a leading high-street bank, to introduce new technology to create more efficient processes.
Six years ago, James had already embraced the use of online communication platforms such as Teams and Zoom, before they became more widely used during the pandemic – just one example of how he is always forward thinking in utilising technology and digital platforms for the benefit of clients.
Ian Pitt, Partner and Head of the National Valuation Team believes James’ forward thinking mindset will be vital to the continued development of the National Valuation Team and wider business, in continuing to prioritise the delivery of a high-quality service to clients.
Ian comments: “Since launching the National Valuation Team we’ve seen vast growth and it’s imperative we are utilising the latest technology to continue to deliver a time and cost efficient service which provides accurate advice. The appointment of James Foley is a strategic decision, to not only manage the growth of the team but to elevate our services through the use of innovative technology.”
The continued growth and strong results Bruton Knowles has delivered, along with the core values of the business, attracted James to the company and role. He said: “Bruton Knowles is very focused on quality, integrity, its people and delivering a very local service feeling but nationwide – all of which really stood out to me.”
James adds: “For me, at the heart of everything is people embracing technology, that is what will take us on this journey to exceed client expectations. By streamlining our processes, not negotiating on quality and introducing some smarter ways of working, the sky is the limit when you add together the foundations we already have in place here at Bruton Knowles.
“I am ambitious, the company is ambitious, and we are going to deliver something special for our clients.”
Bruton Knowles is an independently-owned chartered surveyor firm with 10 locations across the UK. The team is highly knowledgeable in sale and purchase, valuation, leasing and strategy, providing specialist insightful advice across commercial property, infrastructure, utilities, public sector and social housing sectors, helping clients to achieve more from land and property.