ARLA Propertymark and NAEA Propertymark have welcomed their new presidents for the year ahead.

Angela Davey succeeds Phil Keddie as president of ARLA Propertymark after being appointed president elect earlier this year. She has over 30 years’ industry experience and has been an ARLA Propertymark board member and regional representative for many years.

Since 2016, Davey has been a member of the stakeholder group directly responsible for advising Welsh Government on housing policy, she has created training for agents accredited by Rent Smart Wales and brings her experience of the Welsh regulatory system into the role.

Kirsty Finney succeeds Lauren Scott as president of NAEA Propertymark. Finney, director of Belfast estate agents Rodgers & Finney, has over 15 years of experience in the property sector and has won several accolades in recent years for her work.

She has been a committed member of NAEA Propertymark for several years and was pivotal in the signing of an MoU in Northern Ireland between Propertymark, the Law Society and RICS in 2018 which seeks to speed up communications with conveyancers and reduce transactions times.

The handover takes place after a year of significant lobbying for Propertymark with notable developments such as Business Rate Relief and the inclusion of commission in calculations for furlough payments.

Davey said: “I’m honoured to have been appointed the first Welsh ARLA Propertymark president. The sector has changed significantly over the last few years, however it is my intention to use my time in role to bring both sides of Propertymark together so that from a member’s perspective, we lead the way in setting the highest standards within our property industry.”

Finney added: “I am very excited to take on the role as NAEA president this year. Alongside giving Northern Ireland more of a voice when it comes to legislative changes in the sector, I plan to focus on education. RoPA is fast approaching and it’s key that the industry is prepared.”

Christopher Hamer, chairman, Propertymark said: “Thank you to Lauren and Phil who have brought endless energy and enthusiasm to support agents through a challenging year. Championing high standards and teamwork, they have been a fantastic presidential team. Angela and Kirsty are both experienced agents who bring strong knowledge of their sectors and will be great representatives of the industry.”