Pam Golding Properties has appointed Richard Smith as deputy manager of its Hyde Park office, the company’s single largest, and one of its top performing, branches in the country, it was announced today.
In welcoming Smith to the company, Pam Golding Properties (PGP) Gauteng regional head, Rupert Finnemore, said that the Hyde Park area, which encompasses the entire northern suburbs of Johannesburg, including Sandton and the Johannesburg city centre itself, is one of PGP’s more significant areas of business.
“Richard will be responsible for the operations and general management of the Hyde Park area and it is of great importance for the right person to head this operation,” he added. “We believe we have found an outstanding candidate in Richard and are confident that he will provide sound strategic direction and leadership to our business in this all important area.”
“Richard has more than 25 years of banking and financial services experience, where he has played a number of leading roles, principally in operations, credit and sales as well as marketing. We wish him everything of the best in his new role and look forward to his contribution to the Hyde Park office.”
Smith is a Certified Associate of the Institute for Bankers in South Africa, and completed the Programme for Management Development at the Cape Town Graduate School of Business in 1990, as well as the Senior Management Development Programme at the University of Witwatersrand in 1988.
In commenting on his appointment, Smith said he was looking forward to the challenge of running the PGP Hyde Park branch and aims to further extend the company’s leading role in Johannesburg and the northern suburbs. He noted that he has always been passionate about residential property with an ancillary interest in gardens and gardening.
He is at present vice chairman of the Johannesburg Garden Club, where he continues his family’s association of over 50 years in the club’s proud 65-year heritage. He is also actively involved in philanthropy in a number of charities and fundraising initiatives around Johannesburg.
Smith says that in the current economic climate, all roleplayers within the residential property market, including sellers, buyers, tenants, investors and developers, are more than ever looking to partner with trusted and experienced advisors.
“Pam Golding Properties has developed an enviable track record since it was originally founded by Pam Golding in 1976, and we will be looking to reinforce the company’s leading position within the region in the years to come.”
“PGP has always embraced the latest technologies enabling it to deliver superior service to clients, effectively linking buyers and sellers within the residential property market. We will continue to remain at the cutting edge of real estate technology to further improve the experience of our clients.”
Smith is optimistic about the residential property market in the region. “The PGP Hyde Park office encompasses a number of areas in which the local property markets have remained particular buoyant such as Morningside, Rosebank, Sandhurst, the ‘Parks’, Westcliff, Hyde Park, Bryanston, Rosebank and Blairgowrie among others.”
“In the short term, we expect the recent Monetary Policy Committee decision to maintain current interest rates to be positive for the market, and it should assist to help boost consumer confidence over this last phase of 2016 and into the new year,” Smith concluded.