The Apartment Adviser Awards 2026

John is a partner in the Property Disputes team and heads up the specialist Leasehold Enfranchisement team at Seddons.  He is a leading practitioner in the field of collective enfranchisement, lease extensions and right to manage claims, having been involved in numerous highly contentious cases. John writes regularly for specialist publications on a variety of enfranchisement and landlord and tenant issues. He has been identified as one of the top 100 influential people in the leasehold property sector, appearing for several years in the 'News on The Block' "Hot 100" list which includes a mix of professionals, politicians, property owners and investors. John was instrumental in pioneering the Leasehold Reform Amendment Act 2014 and continues to work with parliamentarians on issues within the leasehold sector.

Clare Grove is ALEP’s Head of Communications & Strategic Implementation and is well known to the ALEP membership, having worked with the Association and within the leasehold sector for almost 15 years. 

Clare has worked in marketing and events in a range of industries including housebuilding, automotive and healthcare for over 25 years and is a chartered marketer and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. 

As a consultant Marketing Director, Clare also supports legal, financial and healthcare clients with their marketing strategy and implementation.

Damian Greenish has been a solicitor for over 40 years. Until his retirement as a partner in 2016, he was senior partner and then chairman of Pemberton Greenish LLP. He is now a senior consultant to the leading Mayfair firm Forsters LLP.  Throughout his career, he has taken a close interest in the subject of leasehold reform, advising both landlords and tenants on all aspects of residential leasehold law, with particular interest in enfranchisement. He has been involved in many of the landmark leasehold reform cases in the Supreme Court, House of Lords, Court of Appeal, High Court and the valuation tribunals. He has been the joint editor of Hague on Leasehold Enfranchisement since 1998, the 7th Edition being published in 2020. He is a speaker at and acts as a regular chairman of the leading conferences and seminars in this specialised sector of the law.  He is chairman of the Trustees of the Sloane Stanley Estate (a mixed-use Estate in west Chelsea, London); a Vice-President (and former Chairman of the Council) of the Chelsea Society; a member of The Law Society; a member of the British Property Federation’s Residential Property Management Committee, Honourary President of the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) and a member of the Commonhold Council.

Henrietta is a partner at Beckett and Kay, a firm founded in 2002 specialising in landlord and tenant matters. She is the youngest ever woman to become a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (“RICS”) and is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Member of the Institute of Residential Property Management.
She specialises particularly in enfranchisement and diminution cases, and has an interest in alternative dispute resolution. She is a qualified arbitrator and an RICS-accredited mediator.
In enfranchisement cases, Henrietta acts for landlords, intermediate landlords, and tenants. She has appeared at the First-tier Tribunal (Lands Chamber) and assisted in cases in the Upper Tribunal and beyond. She is a Non-Executive Director at the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (“ALEP”). Henrietta regularly lectures on valuation topics, including at the RICS Dilapidations Conference, RICS Valuation Conference, ALEP lectures and conferences, and other professionally organised seminars.

Bob Smytherman has been a committee member of the FPRA for over 15 years and became Hon Chairman in 2008.
He is currently a director of his own residents’ association and has been since 1992, taking over as chairman in 1995 and was instrumental in removing a number of ineffective managing agents and along with his fellow RMC Directors has self-managed the Worthing estate since 2001 saving on agent’s fees, which has enabled them to spend more on the block itself.
Bob was also responsible for challenging the RMC lease with the freeholder on building insurance and as a result they are now free to purchase their own policy. Their residents’ association is formally recognised by the local authorities for consultations by West Sussex County Council and the Borough Council, as well as other public organisations and includes being a statutory consultee for Licensing and Planning applications.

Mairéad is a Senior Specialist at RICS where she leads on work relating to property agency and management. With a long career in residential real estate.
Mairéad has previously worked in the housing association sector in policy and external affairs and on the Board at Innisfree Housing Association. Currently reviewing the framework of the RICS property standards.
Mairéad also represents RICS on a number of groups including the Technical Support Group to the Commonhold Council, the steering group for Homebuying and Selling Group, the Construction Industry Council’s Housing Panel and the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team Material Information Steering Group.

Jonathan is a property management consultant specialising in all matters ‘block management’. He works with RMCs and RTMs, managing agents, and talented suppliers to the industry. And to ensure he can consider issues from all angles, he is an RMC director twice over in London and Herts respectively. A fellow of the TPI and pro-bono Honorary Consultant to the FPRA, Jonathan enjoys a helicopter view of the sector and is in a strong position to assist and guide all stakeholders in making sustainably good decisions.

Caroline is Counsel in the firm’s Real Estate Disputes team, specialising in all aspects of leasehold enfranchisement. With 20 years of experience, she is recognised for her technical expertise and practical approach.

Caroline has significant experience advising on lease extensions and freehold acquisitions, both on a voluntary basis and under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 and the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. She advises also on Right to Manage claims and the right of first refusal provisions under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987. In recent years, Caroline has been actively monitoring and engaging with the development of leasehold reform and in particular, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, and now the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill 2026.

Caroline’s diverse client base includes landlords and tenants, private individuals, landed estates, developers, property and management companies, housing associations, charities, and UK and international investors. This gives her an invaluable perspective on the priorities and challenges faced by all parties, enabling her to deliver tailored and effective advice.

Yashmin Mistry is a Partner and leads JPC Law’s Property Practice Group. Yashmin is a leading expert in leasehold enfranchisement and landlord & tenant matters and is widely acknowledged as a thought leader in her field. She is influential not only as a practitioner and commentator, but increasingly as someone asked to play an active role in shaping how the law works.  Yashmin is a “Recognised Expert” in the prestigious Legal 500 guide as well as receiving recognition in the 2014 to 2018 “Top 100 Most Influential People in the Residential Sector” property guide.

Eleanor heads up the Enfranchisement and Residential Disputes team at CMS.  She is an expert in her field advising on all aspects of residential disputes with a particular specialism in enfranchisement where her clients include Prime Central London landed estates, investors and developers. She also regularly deals with and right to manage instructions as well as 1987 Act rights of first refusal, residential service charge disputes and Estate Management Schemes.

She currently sits on the ALEP Advisory Committee and is a member of the Residential BPF Board Committee.