Member Article

Property experts acquire new talent

North East-based property expert The SDDE Smith Group has continued to reach its ambitious growth plans with a number of senior appointments.

The firm, which provides end-to-end client services for the real estate sector, is making its intentions for continued growth very clear with the appointment of six new senior roles in the business.

The Group is ambitious about its goals: “We have seen fantastic growth across the last few years, with revenue growing more than seven times from £2 million in 2020 to £15 million in 2022, but in order to keep that pace and drive towards nine figure annual revenues, it is essential that we continue to develop our leadership structure and bring knowledge and experience into the Group. Our latest senior appointments do exactly that.” says Dale Smith, CEO of The SDDE Smith Group.

The Group has already made some big moves since its inception in 2017, and now employs more than 300 colleagues, predominantly in the North East of England. In September 2022 the Group made its first acquisition when it acquired Cochranes Law Firm to become part of the Group’s Grey-Smith Legal brand, and already in 2023 the Group has acquired ResiCentral, a property technology business, and is soon to complete on the acquisition of a Teesside based Estate Agency business.

However, it’s not just additional companies SDDE is acquiring: the firm is also acquiring the very best talent to take its operations to the next level.

Gary Wood has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer for The SDDE Smith Group, bringing more than 10 years’ experience in senior management roles within the construction industry. His expertise will be put to good use as he oversees all operational aspects of the business, from strategic planning and implementation to project management and delivery.

Gary has successfully led WOODSmith Construction Group from start-up in March 2021 to a £5 million turnover in its second year of operation, and is now expecting to exceed £10 million in revenue across 2023.

Ben Duncan has been appointed as Commercial Director for Host & Stay, focusing on the expansion and growth of the Host & Stay’s integrated services. Ben joined The SDDE Smith Group in 2018, and he brings extensive commercial and financial experience to the role, which will be invaluable in growing the Host & Stay portfolio to over 1,500 holiday homes across 2023.

Following The SDDE Smith Group’s acquisition of Redcar Athletic in 2022, the club’s Managing Director Ryan McKnight has been appointed as the firm’s People and Place Director, overseeing the People Department, the Group’s ESG strategy, and the new StayLocal project. In his new role, Ryan will continue to deliver on the Group’s core focus of creating better places for people to live, to work and to stay.

James Baird joins the Group as Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director of ResiCentral and will lead the technology arm of the Group, driving to be continually ‘working smarter’, while Durham-based Reece Ingham joins the Group as Group Financial Controller.

Steve Padgett comes in as Chief Financial Officer, and with the Group already an established and experienced business in the North East, the appointment of Steve as CFO leads its next phase of growth.

Discussing the appointments further, Dale Smith, CEO of The SDDE Smith Group said: “We are proud of where we are from and we’re passionate about the North East which is why we are keen to continue creating opportunities here. We have seen our colleague base grow rapidly in the last three years, with local people being given opportunities to develop and progress their careers, with colleagues starting at entry level and making their way to senior leadership roles within a matter of months not years.

“We want to keep creating those opportunities, but we also must bring in the best experience and talent from outside of the area too, because that enables us to keep learning, to keep improving, and to keep growing the business. I’m truly excited about the journey we’re on, and it’s a great time to be a North East business.”

Furthermore, this year The SDDE Smith Group is pledging 10% of profits to support good causes across the North East with the introduction of The SDDE Smith Foundation.

To find out more about the Group and its portfolio of businesses, visit the website.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by The SDDE Smith Group .