EXPERTISE Howard is a pioneer of customer service within the real estate industry. He advises leading property owners, property managers and professional bodies on strategies to improve customer experience and business performance. In recognition of his contribution to the industry, he was appointed an Honorary Professor at The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London (UCL) in 2022. Prior to founding RealService in 1999, Howard was a director of airport property company, BAA Lynton, where he created “The Property Challenge”, an award-winning CX strategy to grow the business by treating tenants as valued customers. Howard has served as a judge for the REVO “Achieving Customer Excellence” shopping centre awards, and the BCO Office Industry Awards. He is also a co-founder of Experience Makers, the network and champion for CX research and education in real estate. He is a regular contributor to industry conferences, seminars and publications. The managing director of RealService until June 2023, he is now concentrating on consulting with key clients and advising on performance leasing projects in the role of executive chairman.   WHAT I CARE ABOUT Howard is passionate about mental health as a cause and, in 2015, co-founded the John O’Halloran Initiative to promote mental health and well-being within the property industry. He is a trustee of the charity, Small Acts of Kindness, which is working to reduce loneliness and isolation for older people by connecting communities with kindness. His other passions are learning jazz guitar, hill walking, classic Mercedes cars, road cycling and riding lightweight racing bicycles from the 1950's-80's.

EXPERTISE Louise has been instrumental in the growth of RealService since joining the company in 2005. She became a director in 2014, chief operating officer in 2018 and is now chief executive, a role she accepted in June 2023. As chief executive, she is responsible for the day-to-day running of the company as well as playing major role in its business development strategy. She is the director in charge of RealService’s governance, policies and regulations. Maintaining strong relationships with clients is her key focus and she manages both UK and pan-European projects. Her aim is to show clients that customer insight is a vital component of the three R’s of real estate – reputation, retention and revenue – and she can advise on the strategy and implementation of customer experience and insight programmes. She has also been key to the launch of the property networking community, Experience Makers, of which RealService are founder partners. Louise is experienced at advising, presenting and running workshop/training programmes at boardroom level.   WHAT I CARE ABOUT Away from work, Louise’s competitive spirit is reflected in her love for sport – she is an accomplished golfer, a useful skier and tennis player, and a passionate supporter of the Wales rugby union team.

EXPERTISE Justine is an Associate Director with special responsibility for creating new products & services, and business development. She joined RealService from advertising company Grey London, where she was Group Business Director, working with a wide range of brands including Volvo, VW, Virgin Atlantic, Bose Global and GSK. Her experience working with blue-chip companies enables RealService to offer our clients expertise and customer experience solutions from within and outside the property industry. Justine was looking to join a company with a strong sense of purpose where she felt she could make a real difference and believes she has found that with RealService.   WHAT I CARE ABOUT Away from work, Justine enjoys spending time with her two young boys and getting down and dirty in her allotment!

EXPERTISE
Sue is a director of RealService whose work with clients covers the full range of real estate sectors and professional services – everything from city centre shopping centres to coastal windfarms. She is an accomplished trainer and a specialist in customer journey mapping while her research skills have contributed to RealService projects with REVO and the BCO. Sue's first career was in commercial retail management where she learned the importance of investing in people, training and skills to make great customer experiences a reality. She is passionate about helping clients identify how they can deliver positive customer experiences.

WHAT I CARE ABOUT
Away from the office, Sue’s wider interests include travel, keeping fit, improving her cookery skills and going to the theatre.

EXPERTISE
Gillian joined RealService soon after its inception and has put to good use the questioning, listening and analytical skills she learned from her earlier careers in the property industry and as a City solicitor. She now works as a Senior Project Manager with responsibility for day-to-day client contact, adherence to the timeline and ensuring quality control.

WHAT I CARE ABOUT
In her spare time Gillian is an enthusiastic member of two choirs and enjoys a variety of ways to keep fit including skiing, hiking, yoga and netball.

EXPERTISE Claire came to RealService with a background in sports journalism and lecturing. A sportswriter for the Daily Telegraph she covered the Olympic Games in Sydney and Beijing as well as many other major global events. After moving to Australia, she lectured on a Sport Diploma course and became a media law tutor at Curtin University in Perth. Now back in the UK, she aids the RealService directors around business development, marketing and communications. WHAT I CARE ABOUT Outside work, Claire is a keen tennis player and generally a sports fanatic. Despite being in the UK she is still a member of the Nancy Clutter Book Club, in Perth, and enjoys awarding low marks for novels everybody else seems to love.

EXPERTISE A customer service and people-skills focused background in the airline industry puts Jane in a great position to work on scheduling, interviewing, proof-reading and supporting any office needs for RealService. She loves seeing how her contribution helps projects to evolve and targets to be met.

WHAT I CARE ABOUT When Jane isn’t being kept busy by her four children, she can be found at the local tennis club or enjoying a good historical read.

EXPERTISE April’s experience in administration, book-keeping and organisation is put to good use in her various responsibilities at RealService which include conducting occupier research and report writing.

WHAT I CARE ABOUT Out of the office, April can often be found ‘Nordic walking’ on the Chiltern Hills or cheering on ‘the Hammers’.

EXPERTISE
Ruth uses her PA and administration expertise to complete various duties on the operations side of the business. Whether it's her attention to detail editing and proofing reports and presentations or checking data accuracy, Ruth will turn her hand to anything. She is thoroughly enthusiastic about working in the property industry; real estate is a bit of a family affair with her husband, younger daughter and both brothers-in-law working in the sector.

WHAT I CARE ABOUT
Ruth enjoys her dancing classes and looking after her 'grand-kitty' Dexter, her daughter's cat.

EXPERTISE Danielle is our first port of call for advice on statistical methods and analysis. She is an Associate Professor in Associate Professor of Real Estate at Bartlett School of Planning, at University College London having completed a PhD, co-funded by RealService, which explored the link between customer service and property performance. Her research provided evidence of “The Loyalty Bonus” – the improved financial return of 1.9% for companies who improve their customer satisfaction rating by one level on a five-point scale. WHAT I CARE ABOUT When she’s not working with numbers, Danielle’s a mother and an athlete. An experienced long-distance runner, she has represented England and Great Britain 21 times and even set a Women’s Masters world record in 2004.

EXPERTISE Sophie has been involved in managing client relationships and improving customer service for 20 years. Her experience in setting up a customer-first approach within The Dome and Royal Albert Hall, followed by a General Manager role within flexible space and commercial property businesses, enables her to communicate the benefits and rewards of this model to clients. Her consultancy service, delivered through RealService, enables clients to identify areas of success and potential development through the voice of their customers. WHAT I CARE ABOUT Outside her consulting work and her parenting responsibilities, Sophie enjoys running and has been helping a friend train for a half-marathon (in which she will NOT be competing)!

EXPERTISE Sharon’s career in market research has taken her across Europe as well as to Asia, Australia and the United States. She uses this international experience to conduct and analyse interviews in French and Italian, as well as to oversee European projects.

WHAT I CARE ABOUT In her spare time, Sharon enjoys cycling and is part of a choir.

EXPERTISE Janet was one of the first associates to join RealService having previously enjoyed roles in editorial development, media research and advertising sales. Her main responsibilities include managing client relationships and co-ordinating large-scale Voice of Customer programmes. She is also a skilled report writer and an engaging presenter.

WHAT I CARE ABOUT Janet is a keen amateur thespian and baker.

EXPERTISE Danielle worked in market research for over 10 years and is a stats genius. She brings this experience to her project management role at RealService where she has led research for clients in the residential, retail and industrial sectors.

WHAT I CARE ABOUT In her spare time, Danielle enjoys walking Monty, the family Tibetan terrier, and loves travelling the world, picking new destinations for family adventure holidays.

EXPERTISE Lasha is RealService’s dashboard genius. His background in pricing and analytics makes him a wizard at data handling and he has developed RealService’s bespoke dashboard, a brilliant visual tool which allows our clients to see all their research results in the same place, in real time. Lasha is proud to be working for a company with such a well-established reputation and provides the highest standard of service to clients.  

WHAT I CARE ABOUT In his spare time, Lasha enjoys playing tennis (he’s a Federer fan!) and reading philosophy.