Farewell as high profile agency chief retires at 66

Mark Newton, founder of the Newton Fallowell agency, is retiring.

The news came from a statement from the Belvoir franchise giant which in 2017 acquired Newton Fallowell and its 30-plus sales and lettings offices across the Midlands, for some £6.3m.

Newton founded the agency in 1999 and grew it into one of the country’s best-known regional agency brands; in 2019 he stepped down as chief executive, moving to the role of chairman.

“On behalf of the whole [Belvoir] Board, I would like to thank Mark Newton for his contribution to the strategic growth of the Group over the past six years” says Belvoir chief executive Dorian Gonsalves.

“Many of our recent corporate acquisitions have stemmed from Mark’s strong relationships within the sector.

“I am delighted that Mark has decided to remain with Belvoir as a Non-Executive Director and that we will continue to benefit from his considerable expertise both in estate agency and financial services.”

Meanwhile Belvoir has also revealed Michelle Brook - managing director of Brook Financial Services - as the group’s new financial services director.

Brook has over 25 years' experience in managing financial services, including as a regional director for Mortgage Advice Bureau until leaving to set up Brook Financial Services Ltd in 2010, which she ran until 2017 when it was acquired by Belvoir for £2m.

Since then, Brook has been the managing director of Brook Financial Services within the Belvoir Group.

Gonsalves adds: “I am delighted to welcome Michelle to the Board of Belvoir. 

“Michelle has been instrumental in the successful and profitable growth of Belvoir's financial services division over the last four years and brings a significant amount of experience to the senior management team.  

“Michelle will play a crucial role as we continue to expand our financial services offering following the exceptionally strong sales market of the last year.”