Cooke has worked in estate agency for more than 30 years in leadership roles, growth strategy and mergers and acquisitions. He founded Fine & Country and served as a non-executive director at The Guild of Property Professionals. He also oversaw the transaction that brought both brands under The Property Franchise Group in 2024.
Further, Cooke has taken on roles bringing together property and technology, including chief executive of Nurtur.group, a provider of technology services to estate agencies and financial services firms. He has also held non-executive roles at Lomond, Iamproperty and was previously managing director of Your Move.
He is currently a non-executive director at BetterHome Group, which invested in HLPartnership in 2024.
Closer ties between advice and home moving
Cooke’s appointment comes after broker firm Nexpad launched as an appointed representative (AR) of HLPartnership. The firm was set up by Stuart Dare, former managing director of mortgage services at Connells Group, aiming to support estate agency-linked mortgage advice.
Cooke (pictured) said: “The property transaction process can take longer than it should, particularly where progress depends on multiple parties and multiple handovers. There is a real opportunity to improve how the chain operates by strengthening partnerships between estate agency firms and mortgage advice firms, so information is captured earlier, communication is more consistent, and avoidable delays are reduced.
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“HLPartnership is an innovative mortgage and protection network with the scale, infrastructure and ambition to improve the property transaction process. What also stands out is the strength of its technology platform and its commitment to continued development. I look forward to supporting the board and leadership team as they strengthen the connection between the network and the estate agency community, helping customers access regulated advice at the right time and move through the process more efficiently.”
Christopher Tanner, chief executive of HLPartnership, added: “Jon brings a rare combination of estate agency leadership, M&A and technology-enabled growth experience.
“His insight will support the board as we strengthen links between the estate agency community and our network, improve efficiency across the house buying chain and deliver good consumer outcomes.”
