The Property Management Awards 2025

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.

A Fellow of both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Institute of Residential Property Management, Andrew started his residential PRS and leasehold management practice in 1995-2016, taking on the role of UK Residential Director at RICS 2013-2016, then his CEO role at the Institute of Residential Property Management (IRPM), the UK's leading body for residential property management professionals. He oversaw IRPM's 2022 merger with the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA), becoming CEO of The Property Institute, the new professional body formed from the merger.
The Property Institute is the UK’s leading professional body for residential leasehold and multi-family property management, representing both individual professionals and businesses alike. Andrew is passionate about raising standards across the property management sectors and encouraging property professionals to be a progressive and ethical force for good.

Tracey has over 25 years of expertise in residential property investment, property, and asset management across Estate, Block, and Build to Rent (BTR) sectors. She has established a strong track record in senior leadership, strategy, and operations. Her career includes a decade in Fund Management and Operations roles at Grainger, and she has served as the head of Residential at The Howard de Walden Estate, JLL – The Crown Estate, and Chief Operating Officer at Cortland Europe before joining Compass Rock to lead operations there. Tracey has a keen focus on governance, risk, and compliance, ensuring best practices are followed across all levels of operations. Her industry-shaping roles include participating in the Government’s Private Rented Sector (PRS) Taskforce, serving as the current Chair of the British Property Federation (BPF) Residential Management Committee, being a member of the BPF Residential Board, and co-chairing the Association for Rental Living (ARL) Policy & Research Committee.

Emma has worked with the residential property industry for over 15 years. Leadership roles in insurance, risk management and proptech supporting a broad range of industry sectors from mortgage lenders through to Build to Rent operators has given Emma a unique understanding of the residential property ecosystem.
A strong advocate of improving collaboration and knowledge sharing across the industry and, for enhancing the profile of female talent, Emma founded the award winning Women in Residential Property network in 2017 which she Chaired until 2023. She drove the formation of the British Property Federation Cyber Working Group in 2023 and is actively involved in a number of industry committees and working groups.

Jonathan Channing is a property management consultant, advisor and occasional mischief-maker. As Director of JC Property Consultancy Ltd, he works with RMCs, RTMs, managing agents and suppliers across the sector, bringing sharp insight and sector-savvy advice to every corner of the leasehold landscape. A Fellow of The Property Institute and Associate of RICS, Jonathan also serves as an Honorary Consultant to the FPRA and co-founded the panel discussion series Proper Talk in 2023.

This marks his third consecutive year as a PMAs judge – a role he takes seriously, but not too seriously (he promises not to let the power go to his head). With a quarter-century in block management under his belt and a passion for helping people make better property decisions, Jonathan enjoys unearthing the real stories behind award submissions – and championing the sector’s unsung heroes along the way.

Louie-Mae is an Estate Director for Knight Frank Promise, Ambassador for One Loud Voice for Women.

She is fierce about EDI, and is a guest speaker on the same and is also keenly involved in Armed Forces Network and supporting Veterans. Having worked in Property for 14 years, from Head of HR to Ops Director and Site based roles, she fully understands the challenges that the industry beings, as well as the believing we should celebrate those who do an outstanding job. 

Benjamin Hume is an accomplished property manager, industry leader & influencer, career and personal development coach and consultant in our corner of the world. From starting his own managing agent from scratch to a multi-award winning business championing best practice and high standards, through to volunteering his time with the FPRA, creating content for industry publications and technical documents, through to hosting and presenting at the LMP conferences and other national events.

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.

Consultant at Commonhold and Leasehold Experts and Director and co-founder of Leasehold Management Professionals (LMP), Matt is embedded within the property management sector.
 
In his professional capacity, Matt principally deals with enfranchisement and leasehold management legal matters. Alongside this, Matt is particularly keen on increasing standards in our sector, through LMP and other speaking and writing commitments.

Mark is a Partner at Brethertons working closely with clients and stakeholders alike to completely understand and support them in achieving their strategic goals.

With many years’ experience in property related fields Mark began his working life in estate agency in 1991 before moving into lettings. In 2005 Mark joined Brethertons, rising to Partner level in 2016. He focused on the leasehold sector, connecting clients with much needed legal support. Mark spent five years working for a national managing agent gaining essential experience on the front line before returning to his role at Brethertons in 2023. Mark is considered to be an all round property professional.

After experiencing the unfairness in the leasehold system during a now-infamous collective enfranchisement of his own building, Mike drew on his decades of expertise in the global software industry, to found The Freehold Collective (TFC), a unique partnership dedicated to helping leaseholders acquire the freehold of their homes and investments. An experienced director of many freehold and RTM companies Mike’s mission is to act as the mentor that he wished he had when he embarked on his own freehold journey. A recipient of several industry awards, Mike has orchestrated thousands of leaseholders over 15 years in exercising their leasehold and freehold property rights, with a particular focus on navigating leasehold reform and on managing buildings for the benefit of all homeowners.