STANIFORDS - Key Persons
A Director of Staniford Grays, with a Masters Degree in Surveying, Ben Wright also has solid experience and a firm overview of all aspects of the business. Bringing in exciting new build properties from developers and assisting Clients to buy and sell a diverse range of property. Ben is always on hand to offer his superb skillset and sharp business brain. The variety of Ben's role means he is kept on his toes, be it in the office, board room or completing a ‘new build site walk' in his hard hat! When Ben has the opportunity, he thrives on being outdoors, spending quality time with his young family. A keen golfer, cyclist and skier Ben loves nothing more than being out in the fresh air and bizarrely, the rain! He is also a big Arsenal fan and proudly displays a picture of Ian Wright on his office wall. He credits his ‘Uncle' Ian Wright as his most inspirational character; a fun loving, caring and kind gentleman who always attacks life with passion and who lives life to the max with his interesting personality and wicked sense of humour. If you're talking favourite holiday destinations; for Ben, it would have to be the picture perfect and unspoilt village of Appledore, North Devon - somewhere he will always return to as the home of his family's fourth generation ice cream business. Ben's dream home is a ‘grand design' style converted chalet with amazing Alpine Mountain vistas to compliment his love of the outdoors! A modest exterior that hides an open plan layout with traditional touches and valley views. Not to mention easy access to the slopes! For Ben, the most rewarding aspects of his work are being part of such an exciting brand that has such a genuine care and understanding for peoples' needs in the property industry; ‘Seeing vendors come back to us time after time and recommending us is the ultimate compliment they can give us'.
Job Titles:
- Sales Consultant - Swanland
Based in our Swanland office we have Carolyn, one of our Sales Consultants. With a passion for interior design and home improvements together with her exceptional customer service experience of 35+ years; Carolyn is perfectly placed to offer guidance to clients to ensure that they receive a smooth experience. Carolyn combines her love of photography with the outdoors; she enjoys hiking and taking in beautiful scenery, be it, mountains, countryside or exploring the coast! As a lover of both playing and listening to music, David Bowie is Carolyn's role model because of his creative and intellectual genius. Always pushing the boundaries, breaking stereotypes and overcoming challenges. This ethos embodies Carolyn's outlook on life and together with her personable approach, makes her very well qualified to assist clients in selling their property or find their dream home.
With acclaimed success within the property rental market and having collected numerous industry awards on the way to building and finally selling his family lettings business in 2020, our Director Jamie Cammish is an astute businessman with some 20 years industry experience. Leading from the front, Jamie is passionate that Staniford Grays gives a comprehensive, professional, quality and friendly service. Together with his dedicated team; Jamie is always looking to improve the services on offer to give added value and ensure that Staniford Grays stands head and shoulders above its competitors. As a director, running the business is varied and brings with it many challenges, but also great joy in seeking out opportunities and working hard to overcome the many obstacles that can arise. During his years in the property sector, Jamie has seen and experienced a number of weird and wonderful things….'I was once asked by someone if they could pay their rent with a horse'! Another time, I was once met by a person with a pet lamb (in the house) wearing a nappy when trying to conduct a quarterly inspection!'
Outside of work, Jamie loves nothing more than spending time with his wife, two children and his dog, going for long walks. He also lives for his drums, playing in a covers band and gigging regularly in the local area. Jamie is also a keen fisherman when the opportunity arises and is a passionate football fan, following Hull City and also playing in a weekly at Hull University. Growing up, Jamie cites his Father as having a positive influence on him; often nurturing him through tricky situations and being a great sound board for him to explore new ideas and opportunities. In more recent times, Jamie takes his inspiration from many global business leaders and educators such as Jim Rhone, Richard Branson and Brad Sugars, declaring that ‘success leaves clues'. If a dream home was on offer, for Jamie, it would be a detached property in a semi-rural setting including a good chunk of land to create a fishing pond and to build a music studio with plenty of space to host and entertain family and friends. When it comes to that perfect holiday destination, Jamie is easily pleased; ‘as long as it's sunny and fairly warm and I can be by the beach or pool, I'm happy. Being able to taste the local cuisine is also an added bonus!'.
When asked about his most rewarding aspect of being a director at Staniford Grays, Jamie simply replies ‘I love seeing our teams flourishing and our clients satisfied. It is so rewarding to see my colleagues develop, thrive and progress to achieve the goals that have been set'.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Valuations Manager
Our valuations manager Jon Sheppard is an integral part of the Staniford Grays team. Based at the Beverley office, Jon is one of the original Grays team members starting in the industry in 2006. Jon brings a vast array of property knowledge and experience delivered in a warm and friendly manner. Jon is proactive and loves meeting new people; working throughout the East Riding as well as York, Pocklington, Market Weighton and surrounding villages. Jon has built up a sound level of expertise, giving professional, achievable yet realistic valuations. He loves working with his team and especially enjoys supporting those vendors that sometimes ‘get lost in the whole sales process'. Always there to guide and advise on any do's and don'ts to get your property ‘market ready!' - Jon is YOUR man!
Away from the office Jon loves to exercise his patience and undertake a spot of metal detecting when he can. This proved useful when he offered to detect a garden for a vendor in search of World War Two bullet which had been mislaid, alas it was never found! He also loves spending quality time with his family and cites his ‘big' brother as his role model. Jon enjoys exploring all the corners of the UK during his holidays and if he could name that perfect property, it would be a good-sized farm house in the middle of nowhere!
Job Titles:
- Sales Consultant - Swanland
Katie is our sales consultant working from the Swanland office. Having worked in the property industry since her teenage years, Katie has built up extensive knowledge of the industry and local property market. Katie has significant expertise and professionalism to guide and advise our clients with the upmost care. The most rewarding aspect of her role is when Clients' receive the exciting news that their offer has been accepted and she is able to assist and nurture her Clients' through the whole process to finally hand over those keys! Katie also loves working as part of a small friendly team in Swanland. In her spare time Katie enjoys being creative and is extremely handy with a glue gun! Although a new hobby; Katie is embracing gardening, getting green fingered and learning as she goes! Katie credits her Mother as her inspiration; a ‘warrior' having brough up 4 girls whilst Katie's Father worked away for long periods of time. If she could pick her ideal property, Katie would live in a character cottage in North Yorkshire; in either Pickering or Whitby.
Job Titles:
- Administrator
- Social Media Manager
Kimberley is an enthusiastic and highly organised team player who has recently found the property industry. Kimberley loves meeting different people every day and learning from her friendly and supportive colleagues. With her finger firmly on the pulse of social media; Kimberley is our ‘go to' person for a new listing "sneak peek" on our Facebook page or create an eye catching ‘reel' or to build a special Facebook/Insta ‘story' to promote our portfolio. As a busy Mum of two girls and a devoted wife, Kimberley is super organised and well-practised in multi-tasking; getting stuck in to emails, answering calls and dealing with all aspects of the daily administration very efficiently. In her free time, Kimberley loves nothing better than being with her family, eating out and going to see local live music. She likes the idea of visiting America and would love to visit New York City. She has already explored the delights of beautiful Croatia and cites Beyoncé as an amazingly strong, talented and empowering icon. So far Kimberley's most rewarding aspect of her role is ‘doing everything we can to help people find their new home, especially when we hand keys over'.
Job Titles:
- Company Accounts Manager - Beverley
With a wealth of knowledge and experience spanning over 40 years within the property sector, Linda holds the position of company accounts manager based at our Beverley office. As well as working as part of a close-knit professional and friendly team, she also thrives on the variation and challenge that each day brings and enjoys nothing more than seeing a very happy and excited purchaser collect their keys to embark on a future in their new home. Linda's role models for life are her Parents; who taught her to have a positive, kind and helpful outlook; skills that she encompasses in her everyday life today. A stunning ‘grand-design' style beach villa in Lanzarote would be Linda's dream home. This stems from her love of travelling abroad; Linda really appreciates somewhere to relax with beautiful scenery; along with socialising with friends, reading and listening to 70's and 80's music!
As a highly experienced property professional with over 40 years under his belt, Paul is our most knowledgeable and accomplished member of the Staniford Grays team. His career started when he undertook several weeks work experience whilst still at school. Being a keen rugby player at the time and being coached and then duly hired by a property specialist who proclaimed Paul would make the ‘perfect Estate Agent' provided the ideal opening to a steady wage and permanent employment! The added bonus being that he could simultaneously enjoy both his passions for rugby and selling houses!
More recently, relishing his new consultancy role has allowed Paul more freedom of not being so ‘hands on', so that he can offer his wisdom and wealth of experience as well as the opportunity to give back and support and nurture the next generation within the business. Paul credits his first boss and rugby coach together with his late father and Economics lecturer as his role models…. ‘In life you meet people who help shape your life or help to create the opportunity for you to reach your potential'. Over time, Paul has seen thousands of properties; but one stands out. The property was in very poor condition yet the owner had a collection of 12 classic cars in ‘mint condition' tucked away in an outbuilding…Depending on your view point, property isn't always of highest importance!
Away from work, Paul enjoys spending time with his family; being a doting Grandfather and husband and is a keen explorer who loves to travel and holiday as well as dine out with good company. Having grown up in the Far East, Paul appreciates the importance of travel and experiencing different places and cultures saying ‘it broadens your horizons and shapes who you are and is a huge educational and spiritual opportunity'.
Job Titles:
- Sales Consultant - Beverley
Sue Brentano is one of our Sales Consultants at the Beverley office. Sue loves the variety of working in the property industry with no two days ever being the same. With a wealth of experience of more than 25 years; Sue has a tremendous knowledge of the local area together with a happy, calm, positive and personable manner which she attributes to her Parents and is very much at the heart of her role. Aside from work, Sue enjoys socialising with family and friends and listening to music. Her ideal holiday destination is the Amalfi Coast in Italy - a stunning vista with plenty of desirable properties! One of Sue's most memorable moments of her property career was when some 25 years ago, a Russian gentleman produced a suitcase full of cash stating that he wanted to purchase a property! Sue relishes her position here at Staniford Grays, working as a committed team player and always going that extra mile!
Job Titles:
- Sales Consultant - Beverley
With a keen interest in purchasing and selling property from the outset, Sue Smith seized the opportunity to make a career out of her passion and jumped into the property industry when she moved to the Beverley area in 1987. With first rate communication skills and excellent sales experience, Sue is superb at meeting and understanding clients' needs and rises to the challenges that she is faced with. Outside of work, there is nothing more enjoyable to Sue than taking long walks or going swimming and nurturing her garden. The Eastern Caribbean Island of Barbados is her favourite holiday destination with its pristine sandy beaches and turquoise seas. Over the years, Sue has learned an enormous amount about customer relations, both from her Father and latterly Paul Staniford our consultant. Looking after clients and forging strong relationships with them is key; knowing that our clients are extremely pleased with the whole process and seeing their happy faces upon completion gives Sue a huge sense of joy, fulfilment and satisfaction.