LEASE Board

Presently LEASE’s board has six members. The same members comprise the board of Lease Conferences Limited. The chair is independent and between them board members are able to bring the perspective of LEASE’s main stakeholders – lenders, leaseholders, surveyors/valuers, solicitors and landlords/freeholders – to the governance of its affairs.

Board members are appointed by the Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government. They hold fixed terms and these public appointments are made in accordance with the code of practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Political activity plays no part in determining suitability for board membership.

Board members abide by the Nolan values of public office and have agreed to a code of conduct. The board is also wedded to transparency. Thus board member interests and approved minutes of the public part of board meetings are available from the secretary. For these or for other information or to contact the board please email info@lease-advice.org.

Present Board Membership is as follows:

Deep Sagar - Chair

Deep Sagar has a long and broad background in management and governance. He worked for over 15 years in senior management for multinationals like Coca-Cola and Unilever Bestfoods internationally. More recently he has been a management consultant and non-executive director across sectors. This has included regeneration and housing, and roles like chair of Riverside Home Ownership and vice-chair of Rooftop Homes. Academically, he has a BA (Honours) and MPhil (Cantab). He is an affiliate member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Justin Caffrey

Justin Caffrey worked in the financial services industry in the UK for over 15 years. He initially worked in the banking sector, where he gained significant experience in both commercial and residential lending. In 2001 he worked in a consultancy role with a mortgage brokerage on the south coast. He subsequently became a director and shareholder within the business and with his fellow directors they grew the company to be one of the biggest distributors of mortgage products in the UK and Ireland. He sold his interest in the group in 2008. Justin Caffrey’s latest business venture assists those living abroad and foreign nationals navigate the potential pitfalls of moving their pension and investments to their new country of residence. He also works as a management consultant specialising in mergers & acquisitions and change management with small and medium size enterprises.

Robert Levene

Robert Levene has been a long leasehold flat owner himself and for over 25 years directly involved in his own residents’ association. Since 1998 he has been a committee member of The Federation of Private Residents’ Associations, the national body for long leasehold residents associations in England and Wales. He originally joined the LEASE board in 2004 and is actively involved in leasehold issues and campaigns.

Geneviève Mariner

Geneviève Mariner has over 13 years experience in valuing residential properties throughout London, with particular emphasis on central, north and east London. She holds a first class honours BSc degree in Land Management, and has been a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors since May 1999. She comes from a family whose background is based in property, most particularly estate agency and development. Geneviève Mariner is an Associate Director at Strettons, where she has worked for over five years. She heads their Enfranchisement Department, which has expanded in her time at the firm. She deals with both commercial and residential valuation and property advice, including Expert Reports and negotiation. She currently sits on the England National and London Regional Boards of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, has involvement in the RICS encouraging surveyors who have been made redundant or finding it difficult to find work, and her latest project is involvement in the production of RICS London Briefing.

John May

John May has worked in legal practice since 1978 and has specialised in residential leasehold property for most of this time, acting both for lease owners and for landlords. His experience includes having acted over many years for one of the "Great London Estates" and for groups of lease owners who have collectively bought the freeholds of their buildings both before and after the current legislation came into force, as well as acting for individuals throughout the country in all aspects of property-related problems. John set up his own specialist practice in central London in 2004 and continues to represent clients from all parts of the property world.

Trevor Moross

Trevor Moross has been involved in the residential property industry since 1975. He is Joint Managing Director of Dorrington Holdings PLC, a residential and commercial property investor and developer, whose portfolio comprises largely London and South East flats and houses let on assured short hold and regulated tenancies. The company also owns several thousand flats sold on long lease. He is a past President of The British Property Federation and has served on the boards of Circle 33 Housing Trust and of MEPC PLC. He is a board member of the British Property Federation and chairman of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the renowned orchestra.