An independent commercial property consultancy in Hampshire has signalled further commercial growth with a new member of staff and a promotion.
Will Elgeti has joined independent Hughes Ellard, with a role in freehold and leasehold work.
He is the 28th member of staff – a record for the firm, which is now in its 43rd year and covers the Solent region.
The 23-year-old, who read property development at the University of Portsmouth, was previously with Vail Williams in Southampton.
Will joined Hughes Ellard straight from a spell playing in North America for the Los Angeles Galaxy, a professional soccer franchise in California made famous in Britain with the then signing of England star David Beckham.
In a related staff development, chartered surveyor Harnish Patel, who joined Hughes Ellard nearly six years ago with a remit in business space and development, has been made associate director.
Harnish is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the professional body that accredits professionals within the land, property and construction sectors worldwide, and a member of the Royal Naval Reserves, HMS King Alfred, based in Portsmouth.
Harnish qualified as a chartered surveyor in 2004 after completing his estate management degree at London Southbank University. He commenced his commercial property career in London in 2001 with Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward Commercial, then Hammond Phillips followed by Jones Lang LaSalle in Hong Kong, before returning back to the South Coast and joining Hughes Ellard in 2010.
Russell Mogridge, who leads the business space team with fellow director Nik Cox, said: “Harnish’s promotion is thoroughly deserved, providing market-leading strategic property advice to clients across Southampton and Portsmouth.
“The recruitment of Will also feeds into our strategic growth aspiration to be the commercial property consultancy of choice in the Solent region for investors, developers, landlords and occupiers.”
Hughes Ellard topped a closely-watched office space league table for the third consecutive year in 2015, with 44 deals involving a total of 274,000 sq ft.
Estates Gazette, regarded as the UK’s bible for the commercial property sector, compiled the league table from transactions recorded between September 2014 to August 2015.
Will’s appointment follows those of other sector experts over the past year at Hughes Ellard.
They include senior building surveyor Nick Miles, who carries out building consultancy for landlords and occupiers, such as acquisition surveys, advising on building defects, schedules of condition, dilapidations, development monitoring and the project management of refurbishment and fit-out schemes.
Other appointments include surveyor Joe Walker, management surveyor Ed Martin, property manager Sara Williams, senior negotiator George Wise and senior building surveyor Mark Patel.
Led by managing director Gary Jeffries, the firm is an active member of Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, Southampton Property Association and Portsmouth Property Association.
Hughes Ellard was established in 1973, the year VAT came into effect in the UK, Edward Heath was the Conservative Prime Minister, inflation rose to 8.4%, the interest rate was 13% and a pint of beer cost 14p.
Its offices are at Enterprise House at Ocean Village, Southampton, and at Cams Hall business park, Fareham.
