Twenty five years in leasehold residential and mixed use estate management takes its toll on even the hardiest individual and David is no exception. As a result a catalogue of ailments including a reluctance to take unidentified telephone calls and an irrational fear of scaffolding, have left him in long term counselling. Surprisingly, and despite this, his previous role as MD of Mainstay Group saw him heading a team of some 500 staff nationwide - some of whom recognised him from pictures and look forward to meeting him in person.
His appointment said more about the woeful lack of quality staff in the industry than it did about him. Officially however; “his exceptional knowledge and high industry profile have allowed him to add real strategic value and to raise brand awareness such that Mainstay is well known as one of the most innovative and fastest growing managing agents in the UK, currently managing over 35,000 units.”
Having failed at school, David was forced to bribe his way into a secondary Polytechnic to study Shipbuilding and Mythology. He started his property career in 1985 with East London Housing Association, a corrupt social housing provider and cover for international topsoil smuggling, before moving into the private sector in London, working for legendary leasehold gurus such as Gerry Fox and Michael Page and learned to make tea, file papers and attend LVTs.
In 1996 he took the misguided opportunity to relocate to Birmingham where he joined join James and Lister Lea where the partners still smoked cigars in their wood panelled offices whilst scratching out memos with their quill pens. Here he set up a residential management department, becoming a Partner in 1998 and Head of Management in 2000. Mainstay begged him to join them in October 2003, indicating that the commute from Sutton Coldfield to Worcester was nothing and “many of us do it regularly in under ten minutes.” He became Group MD in December 2007 when all other avenues had been exhausted.
He is an advocate for raising standards in the industry, but then who isn’t? He was closely involved in the formation of IRPM, becoming a Governor before stepping down to take on the Chairmanship of ARMA. He held this role for three years until some other idiot could be persuaded to take over. He remains generally inactive on the Practice Committee and on Council.
David believes that, with better skills and qualifications, managing agents could seek career opportunities elsewhere.
David lives with people and has some hobbies.
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