Pictured: (l-r) Sharon Reilly, Sharon Walton and Mary Greaves

GVA's 120-strong Birmingham-based Property Management Accounts team has been strengthened with the appointment of a chief operating officer. Sharon Walton has joined GVA at director level, having previously worked in the social housing sector for organisations including Severnside Housing. 

Sharon has been appointed to head up and manage the GVA Property Management Accounts Shared Service team. The chief operating officer role has overall responsibility for all accounts payable, transactional processing, credit control, utilities, and a tenant and supplier help desk. Sharon is also tasked with auditing, compliance, and devising and delivering improvement plans. 

Sharon Reilly, director within GVA's Property Management Accounts team said: "Sharon's appointment is as a result of a series of recent client instructions. With 20 years' experience in senior posts, Sharon will enable us to continue to offer the highest level of service to our clients and assist with driving the further growth of the team. 

"Time and time again, our team has demonstrated to clients how much more efficient and effective it is to outsource their property management accounting requirements to us. Our track record for delivering savings to the bottom line has resulted in a number of national clients choosing to centralise their operations with GVA, running their whole account from our Birmingham office." 

Prior to joining GVA, Sharon Walton's roles included responsibility for co-ordinating strategic planning, implementing risk management strategies and establishing forecasting mechanisms. 

As head of finance, performance, systems and technology at Shrewsbury-based Severnside Housing, Sharon was responsible for all aspects of financial management, having been recruited after the Housing Corporation had placed the organisation in enforced supervision. Having established strong financial controls, Sharon was instrumental in Severnside Housing being given the green light for financial viability in 2007. 

Sharon's previous work history includes senior finance roles at Bupa, GE Capital, ABB, Rolls Royce and Bentley.   

Sharon Walton, chief operating officer for GVA's Property Management Accounts team comments: "I am proud to be joining the largest property management accounts team outside of London. Over the years GVA has earned a formidable reputation in the marketplace for working alongside its client base to revolutionise procedures and deliver efficiencies to maximise the potential from commercial property assets. I am looking forward to working with the team of directors to review and implement new working practices as part of the continual commitment to enhance the service to our clients." 

Clients of GVA's Property Management Accounts team includes the Royal Bank of Scotland, for which GVA manages approximately 3,000 properties for the banking giant across its UK, Offshore and Ireland regions. The Max Industrious portfolio comprising 1,200 commercial units across the UK is another key account for the team, together with the Brindleyplace estate that GVA has successfully managed since 1994.