US proptech firm Hightower has recruited Knight Frank surveyor Sebastian Abigail to help spearhead a drive into the UK market.
Hightower is a mobile leasing and asset management workflow app which, since its launch in 2013, has been adopted by many of America’s largest agency firms and landlords.
Abigail has worked at Knight Frank since 2011 and last year established a division focusing on the tech and creative sectors. He is also co-founder of Sociable Surveyors, the networking and global internship programme.
As UK sales director, Abigail will be responsible for selling the Hightower product to customers and explaining how the tool could benefit their businesses.
The New York-based company, led by chief executive and former CBRE vice president Brandon Weber, is backed by investors including Barry Sternlicht, chief executive of Starwood Capital. Knight Frank is also an investor.
Abigail said: “It brings together lots of disparate data that would have been held in e-mails, spreadsheets, Word documents, and telephone calls, into one web and mobile app.
“If you think about how much time agents spend out and about in their markets, the development of tools suitable for the way agents work in a mobile capacity has not been appropriate for a long time.
“All agents in due course will derive value from it and we anticipate the kind of take-up there has been in the US, where it is incredibly widespread.”
Hightower’s software is designed to enhance and simplify the process of reporting back to clients by agents, providing live updates throughout the leasing process, from prospective tenant appointments through to signing. Owners can also use the software to get a better overview of changes in their portfolios.
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