Smee (pictured), who is well known in the mortgage industry as former director general of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, started the new role this week.
Paul Smee (pictured) has taken over from Eddie Goldsmith as non-executive chairman of the Conveyancing Association (CA).
Smee (pictured), who is well known in the mortgage industry as former director general of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, started the new role this week.
Outgoing chairman Goldsmith has become a senior adviser at the association.
Smee said: “I am delighted – and honoured – to be asked to lead the CA at such an important time in the sector’s evolution.”
Paul Smee was a senior adviser to the Council of Mortgage Lender's successor UK Finance before leaving in January 2018. He is also a non-executive director at the Residential Landlords Association and chairman of the Peer to Peer Finance Association.
At the same time as Smee's appointment the association has launched a 'policy and strategy board' to replace the management committee, which is said to support its ongoing dialogue with the government and other stakeholders.
The policy and strategy board will see a reduced committee with a maximum of 15 representatives of the membership.This will be chaired by Smee and include Goldsmith.
It will set policy and strategy, deal with consultation papers, the admittance of new members and produce plans for the future.
The board asked members to put themselves forward for membership of the PSB committee, which will meet approximately six times a year. At last week’s final management committee meeting 13 individuals were appointed.
Goldsmith said: “It’s our belief that much of the CA’s work in the immediate and short-term future will be about facilitation and working with government and influential stakeholders.
“Quite simply, it is not about ‘what’ should be done but ‘how’ to make sure that changes are sensible, measured, practical and supported by our industry.
“To that end, it’s important that we have the resource available to do this, the expertise within the association, and a strategic vision to follow.
“We are therefore delighted to welcome Paul Smee as our first non-executive chairman – Paul brings with him a wealth of experience and insight, and he will play a pivotal role in representing the CA to various stakeholders, as well as ensuring the association is on the right track in terms of our strategy, policy, membership and future pathway.”
He added: “In order to help deliver on this, we have launched our policy and strategy board which, as the name suggests, will provide guidance and outline the CA’s vision across numerous areas. It will be the job of the PSB to provide clarity to all and will play a crucial role in terms of the CA’s future development.
“We believe these changes put the CA in a very strong position to be able to work with all stakeholders, to ensure our members’ views are fully represented, and to be at the heart of the changes taking place in our industry.”
