The new recruit at a West Midlands commercial property agency has achieved a decade-long ambition.
Tim Skeen has joined Holt Commercial as a management surveyor as part of the firm’s expansion – but it is much more than a new job for the property professional.
Tim has moved to Holt’s Coventry office from Johannesburg, in South Africa, where he worked for City Property Administration, and his wife and three children will follow on in the next few weeks.
He almost moved to the UK ten years ago to a job in London but he met his wife-to-be and decided to stay put but when the opportunity to move to Coventry and join Holt Commercial came, he jumped at the chance a decade on.
“I was contacted by a recruiter and when I looked at the job, I decided that this was the right opportunity at the right time,” said Tim.
“My family on my mum’s side is from the UK – my grandfather made the opposite move 52 years ago on a boat down to South Africa – and I’ve always wanted to come here.
“I feel like I’ve picked a really good time to come to this area. We have City of Culture in Coventry and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham coming up very shortly, and the property market is strong.
“My early impressions of the city and the region are really good. The weather has even been good since I’ve been here!”
Tim is now acquainting himself with some of the different legal aspects of his role compared to his work in South Africa.
He said: “It’s very similar in most of the processes and practices but there are nuances and that is mainly around the differences in the law. That means you have to alter your processes in order to comply.
“It has been a great start to my time here at Holt Commercial and here in this beautiful part of the country.”
Lynette Eccles has also joined Holt Commercial in the administrative team as part of the company’s continued growth.
Nick Holt, director of Holt Commercial, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Tim and Lynette to the company, during a period of growth for the business.
“We have enjoyed a very strong 18 months and growing our team reflects that success.”
