Johnson Fellows appoints head of office agency

Leading chartered surveyors Johnson Fellows has appointed a new head of office agency as it continues to forge ahead with its expansion programme.

Charles Warrack has joined the Birmingham-based firm from Vail Williams where he headed up office agency for the Birmingham and wider Midlands area and was in charge of acquisitions, leases, disposals and sales totalling 500,000 sq ft.

“I’ve been impressed with Johnson Fellows’ expanding portfolio and ambition for growth for a while, so I was extremely pleased to be given the opportunity to head up the office agency,” said Charles.

“It is a company that continues to attract impressive clients and I very much look forward to playing my part in helping to grow the business.”

Chris Gaskell, partner at Johnson Fellows, said attracting such a heavyweight candidate such as Charles to the firm sent out a clear message that the firm was committed to growing its specialist office agency.

“We have strategic plans in place to expand the specialist office agency work that we offer to new and existing clients,” he said.

“As part of that, we want key people in place to provide that role. Charles, with his extremely impressive portfolio of experience, is the perfect fit for Johnson Fellows and we are looking forward to growing this area of the business.”

Among Charles’s recent successes are disposals for Intu, St Gobain and RVB Investments, where he advised on a portfolio of office buildings across Birmingham, as well as acquisitions and occupier advice for First Utility, Gravitas Recruitment, and Steria, in one of the largest M42 deals of 2014.

The chartered surveyor, a member of the Office Agents Society, has worked in Birmingham since 1996, specialising in office agency, and has acted for a variety of major developers, property companies, banks, pension funds, high net worth individuals and a variety of occupiers.

Johnson Fellows has also recruited James Bryant to its agency department, where he will develop the company’s retail portfolio.

James, a real estate graduate from Birmingham City University, joins the company from Towler Shaw Roberts LLP, Wolverhampton, where he was a graduate surveyor.

“I’m thrilled to be developing my career with a dynamic and growing company,” he said. “It is the perfect opportunity to gain more experience in the burgeoning retail sector.”

Johnson Fellows, which celebrates its 30^th anniversary this year, has established itself as one of the region’s leading independent chartered surveying practices, specialising in property management, professional services, building consultancy and more recently valuation, rating and industrial agency.

Earlier this year, it took over Salway Bradbury, based in Solihull, consolidating further its reputation on both the regional and national stage.