Grimsby woman flies high in career to become partner at leading property firm

Kerry Burnett-Cox has been promoted after becoming a mainstay of Scotts Property's commercial operation

A Grimsby woman who swapped a career in dentistry for developments is celebrating after being made a partner at a regional property firm.

Chartered surveyor Kerry Burnett-Cox has travelled far and wide over the course of her career so far, journeying from Orkney to Grimsby via Cyprus, the Shetland Isles and Sleaford. Originally born in Orkney and moving to Elgin as a youngster, Kerry joined the RAF straight from school where she trained as a medic before then moving into pharmacy.

Postings followed all round Europe, including to bases in Cyprus and the Shetland Isles. She then made her first career change, becoming a dental hygienist and looking after the mouths of countless Lincolnshire residents, but then made a pivotal change in direction.

Kerry took a masters degree and qualification to become a chartered surveyor, and then sought a new vocation within the property industry.

She said: “I loved being in the RAF. I got to travel and spend time in wonderful locations and then I followed this up with many years as a dental hygienist in Lincolnshire. But there are only so many fillings and crowns that you can look at and my dad is a builder in Elgin so I suppose it was inevitable that I would eventually work in property.”

Kerry joined Scotts Property in 2021, becoming an important part of the company’s commercial operation, specialising in valuations and agency work while based out of the firm’s Grimsby office. The company has grown significantly on the back of mergers with Canters in Grimsby in 2020, and Haller Evans in Hull in 2022, meaning Kerry’s team now manages hundreds of houses and flats across Northern Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire.

Now she has been made a partner at the firm, which was formed in 1990 and has offices in Hull and Grimsby.

Kerry added: “There’s nothing I like more than finding solutions to make things work smoother. Taking the best bits of all parts of the business and creating new operating models means that, going forward, we’ll be in a great place to grow in our sector and make sure that service to our clients is unrivalled.”

Lawrence Brown, the firm’s managing partner, added: “The continued growth in our business means that we need someone in a senior position to manage the team across our two offices, to ensure consistency of delivery and make sure that we provide the level of service that clients have come to expect. Kerry is the best person to have in this role.”

The firm trades under three names - Scotts, Canters and Haller Evans - to reflect the strong reputation of each company. The business is based on Humber Street in Hull and Town Hall Street in Grimsby and it also has additional representation in Scunthorpe.

Source: Grimsby Telegraph