Joining at a “pivotal point” in the Glasgow-based company’s journey, he was excited about Newton’s prospects for growth and its plans to drive change in the sector.
But despite working “tirelessly”, the chief executive believes there is still work to be done to alter the perception some people continue to hold about factors.
What is your business called?
Newton Property Management Ltd.
Where is it based?
Our headquarters are in Glasgow, with offices across Scotland in Aberdeen, Inverness and Greenock. We have plans to expand into other locations so watch this space.
We are a national operator offering a local service. We can do this as we are embedded into the local communities in which we operate, often meeting with residents to chat through their concerns, have a cup of tea and give them our advice face to face. This regularly happens in our regional offices. During a time when many businesses are closing local branches, we’re making a commitment to open them, ensuring the best customer service possible.
What does it produce/do?
We’re a property management company, typically referred to as a factor. In terms of what we do, we do a lot. Sometimes our work is behind the scenes and sometimes it is more obvious. For example, we arrange maintenance, repairs and cleaning within the residential buildings we manage. We also organise common block buildings insurance for developments across Scotland including new-build apartment blocks and tenements.
To whom does it sell?
The properties we look after are 99% residential and 1% commercial – so maintaining residential developments is very much our bread and butter.
What is its turnover?
We are forecasting £8.1 million in turnover in the current financial year ending February 2027.
How many employees?
We have 89 employees across the business.
Why did you take the plunge?
Newton was at a pivotal point in its journey when I joined, moving from being a small family business to a SME, with a mission statement I wanted to be part of and to help make happen. I had an immediate connection with the shareholders, and I knew I wanted to work with them.
What were you doing before?
I’ve worked predominantly in financial services for over 20 years.
What do you least enjoy?
Property management is all about people and as a leader of a people-based business, sometimes you need to have difficult conversations with staff in order to challenge them and to help them reach their full potential. It’s never nice and it’s never personal. I would say this is one of the most challenging parts of being a manager and running a business.
What are your ambitions for the firm?
Factors are typically not viewed upon favourably, but Newton’s chairman, Stephen O’Neill, and everyone within the organisation is determined to change that. We have worked tirelessly and intensely to invest in our people, systems and processes to make Newton the best factor in Scotland. This has involved cleaning up legacy issues, which at times have held us back, so the company can move forward on a better footing.
We have come a long way and still have a long way to go. It’s simple, I want Newton to be the biggest and the best factor in Scotland and I will do everything I possibly can to make that happen.
What single thing would most help?
Given the bad reputation of factoring businesses, we need to help educate our customers on what their responsibilities are as owners of properties, particularly in apartment blocks, versus what their factor is responsible for. Having a clear understanding would help to reduce confusion from homeowners.
I also believe that more needs to be done during the conveyancing process in this respect. This could involve perhaps a simple, single page reference guide that calls out the key points from the deed of conditions in layman’s terms to the buyer of the property. To enhance that further, a meeting between the buyer and their solicitor, either in person or online, to ensure the buyer has read and understood what they are buying into and what their responsibilities are would certainly help.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned?
Never respond immediately unless you are absolutely 100% certain. Otherwise take time to think things through and compose your response.
Where do you find yourself most at ease?
Spending time with family or participating in my hobby of riding my motorbike.
If you weren’t in your current role, what job would you most fancy?
I wouldn’t change my job for the world. I love what I do. I love what we have achieved. I love the direction that we are going in, we have a fantastic team, and I am determined to bring as much success to Newton as possible.
What phrase or quotation has inspired you the most?
Hire people because of who they are. Good people can be trained with the skills to do the job. Once they have the skills to do the job, don’t micromanage. Give them support, guidance and objectives, then watch them flourish.
What is the best book you have ever read? Why is it the best?
I actually don’t have the time to read books. Sad, but true. I read a lot of content at work, whether that’s emails, reports or analysing data. When I get home, I am too mentally drained to read anymore.
What has been your most challenging moment in life or business?
Business and life have thrown me many challenges over the years. Some unexpected, some of my own doing. I’d like to think every challenge I’ve encountered has taught me something and made me change or improve for the future.
What do you now know that you wish you had known when starting out in your career?
One thing I have learned is that you can only make one change at a time, because you need to be able to assess the impact of that change in isolation to understand if it was positive or negative. If you make several changes at once, how do you know what worked and what didn’t? If I’d known that at the start of my career, I may have approached some things differently in the past.
