Lomond has spent the past few years assembling one of the south of England's largest agency portfolios. Now the group has handed its southern operations to a chief with deep roots at two of the capital's best-known agencies.
Neil McGimpsey, who joined Lomond as COO in December, has been promoted to Chief Revenue Officer for the southern region. He'll oversee brands including Charters, Miles & Barr, Prospect and Ocean — a collection of businesses spanning lettings and sales across Kent and the Southeast.
- Lomond appoints Neil McGimpsey as CRO for southern region
- McGimpsey previously COO since joining the group in December 2025
- He spent 15 years at Foxtons in senior leadership roles
- Prior to Lomond, McGimpsey was CEO at Druce & Co
- Paul Geddes remains Lomond's chief executive
A Familiar Face in Agency Circles
McGimpsey isn't new to the London and Southeast market. His 15-year stretch at Foxtons gave him exposure to high-volume sales and lettings operations in the capital. He later ran Druce & Co, an agency with a strong base in the Southeast, before moving to Lomond's COO seat late last year.
The promotion means he shifts from overseeing group-wide operations to directly owning revenue performance across a cluster of well-established local brands. Charters, founded by the departing Rob, has built a reputation in the South for doing things differently — whatever that means in practice, it suggests a culture worth protecting.
Paul Geddes, Lomond's CEO, called McGimpsey "ideally placed" to lead the region into its next phase. That's corporate language for: he knows the market, he knows the brands, and he's been given the keys.
Why This Matters for Property Investors
You might think a senior appointment at an estate agency is peripheral to commercial real estate investment. It isn't. Estate agencies sit at the nerve centre of local market intelligence — they see pricing trends, landlord activity, and development pipelines before data firms catch up.
Lomond's southern portfolio covers some of the UK's most active residential and mixed-use markets. Kent alone has seen significant landlord and developer interest as London buyers look for value further out. Whoever runs those agencies shapes what gets listed, how it gets priced, and which investors get early sight of opportunities.
When a group appoints a revenue-focused executive — CRO rather than COO — it signals a shift from stabilising acquired businesses to extracting growth. That's a different signal than a new head of operations would give. McGimpsey's mandate appears to be getting more out of the brands Lomond already owns.
Our Analysis
This appointment tells us a few things worth noting.
First, Lomond is doubling down on the South after years of acquisitions. The group has been buying up regional agencies, consolidating them under its umbrella, and now appears ready to squeeze better performance from what it has. That's a maturation move — consolidation without integration doesn't create value.
Second, the choice of McGimpsey suggests Lomond values Foxtons-style volume operations over, say, a boutique agency background. Foxtons is synonymous with high-agent-count, high-throughput models. If that playbook gets applied to Charters and Miles & Barr, expect a heavier sales focus and possibly more aggressive marketing of instructions.
Third, the departing Rob's legacy is worth acknowledging. Charters built its reputation on service differentiation. Whether McGimpsey preserves that positioning or pivots toward volume depends on what Geddes and the board actually want from the southern region.
For investors tracking lettings income or capital growth in the Southeast, this matters. A more aggressive agency machine could mean faster turnover of instructions, which affects supply dynamics in local markets. It could also mean more competitive pricing on fees — good for landlords, uncomfortable for agents.
Say you hold a portfolio of BTL properties in Kent or Southeast London. A more active local agency could speed up void periods between tenants and improve your visibility of new instructions coming to market. That's a marginal benefit, but in thin-margin lettings, marginal adds up.
What to Watch Next
Watch whether Lomond announces additional hires or restructures within the southern region in the next quarter. A new CRO typically brings in trusted lieutenants. If you see senior appointments at any of the subsidiary brands, that confirms the growth mandate is real and funded.
Also watch for any shift in Charters' public positioning. The brand's "different approach" has been its calling card. If that language disappears from marketing materials, it will tell you something about what McGimpsey's priorities are.
For now, this appointment reads as Lomond getting serious about returns from its southern footprint rather than just adding brands to its portfolio.
Frequently asked questions
What is Lomond's southern region?
It encompasses the group's brands operating in the Southeast and Kent, including Charters, Miles & Barr, Prospect and Ocean.
Who is Neil McGimpsey?
He is a senior estate agency executive with 15 years of experience at Foxtons and most recently served as CEO at Druce & Co before joining Lomond as COO in December 2025.
How does this appointment affect property investors in the Southeast?
Changes in leadership at major regional agencies can influence how quickly properties are marketed, how they are priced, and what inventory reaches investors first.
Why did Lomond move from COO to CRO for McGimpsey?
The shift from Chief Operating Officer to Chief Revenue Officer suggests the group is prioritising revenue growth and performance from its existing southern portfolio rather than further acquisition.
What brands does Lomond operate in the south of England?
Lomond's southern brands include Charters, Miles & Barr, Prospect and Ocean, covering sales, lettings and related property services across Kent and the Southeast.
