"Joining the equity partnership has been an ambition of mine for a number of years, so being selected is truly humbling."
Richard Dawtrey, partner at Vail Williams LLP
Commercial property investment expert Richard Dawtrey, who has been a salaried partner at Vail Williams for five years, was invited to join the firm’s equity partnership, and business rates adviser Sam Hill was promoted to partner from associate.
With over 19 years’ experience Richard, who is business development manager for the firm’s London office, specialises in the acquisition and disposal of commercial property investments.
During his time at the firm he has acted for private investors, property companies and institutional investors on deals ranging in size from £3m to more than £120m, for clients including the London Borough of Sutton, Slough Borough Council, Ultima Business Solutions and National Express.
Speaking of his promotion, he commented: “Joining the equity partnership has been an ambition of mine for a number of years, so being selected is truly humbling. I am excited to be part of the leadership team here going forward and relish the prospect of working with my outstanding colleagues who serve as my inspiration.”
Business rates specialist, Sam Hill, moved over to Vail Williams from Bisset Moffat Hill when it was acquired by the firm in 2017.
Speaking of his promotion, he said: “I’m delighted to have been promoted to partner in recognition of the work that I have done to help clients generate business rate savings.
As a business we recognised that the business rates appeal process was here to stay, and we have embraced the continually evolving landscape to save our clients over £40 million.
“Now, as the Valuation Office Agency turns its attention to the 2021 Revaluation, the uncertainty will continue so, if you haven’t already, now is the time to check that your business rates are as low as possible.”
Sam has acted for clients including Jacobs Engineering Group, Porsche Cars Great Britain and the NHS, helping clients to reduce their business rates liabilities.
Meanwhile, across the firm’s other offices in Birmingham, Crawley, Reading, Southampton, Portsmouth and Woking, eight further promotions were made, spanning the firm’s acquisitions and disposals, business rates, planning, lease advice, valuation and property asset management teams.
Carole Taylor (Birmingham) was also invited to join the equity partnership, whilst Joe Walker (Southampton) and Suzanne Holloway (Crawley) were promoted to partner for their work in their respective disciplines of acquisition and disposal, lease advice and planning.
Managing Partner, Matthew Samuel-Camps, commented: “I’m delighted to announce this year’s round of promotions. Our people are at the heart of our business, so it’s incredibly important to reflect the outstanding contributions they have made during their time with us.”
“Rewarding our people through clear career progression allows us to, together with our cultural values and agile approach to working, become the employer of choice - attracting and retaining the very best talent in the sector, for the benefit of our clients,” Matthew continued.
Ben Christian (Southampton), Emily Knowles (Birmingham), Philip Knight and Jane Chamberlin (Reading) were all promoted to associate for strong individual performances in their respective disciplines of planning, valuation, asset management and valuation.
Elliot McNish, based at the firm’s office in Woking, was promoted to Surveyor Level 2, having joined Vail Williams following its acquisition of New Ballerino, in November 2018.
The promotions kick-start another year of projected growth for the residential and commercial property consultants who, in 2018, merged with Southampton and Fareham - based Hughes Ellard, and acquired New Ballerino in Chertsey.
Over the course of the last year (2018-19), the firm has achieved double-digit growth in revenues of 17% and now employs over 170 people across its offices in Reading, Southampton, Portsmouth, Woking, Crawley, Heathrow, Birmingham and London.
Matthew concluded: “As we look ahead to the next three years, we remain committed to investing in the future growth of the firm in each of the regions in which we operate, and in particular, to the continued development of the people that lie at the heart of our business.
“I’d like to take the opportunity to congratulate each and every one of this year’s promotees and wish to thank them for their hard work and dedication to both our clients and the wider business.”
The promotions took effect on 1st June.
