Conveyancing Association appoints Paul Smee as new chair

Former CML director Paul Smee will replace Eddie Goldsmith, who is retiring this week but will remain with the trade body as a senior advisor.

The new policy and strategy board will be responsible for consulting the membership and formulating the Association’s future policy and strategy. It will see a reduced committee with a maximum of 15 representatives of the membership. It will be chaired by Paul and involve the existing CA executive committee, including Eddie Goldsmith in his new role.

Eddie Goldsmith, outgoing chair of the Conveyancing Association, commented: “Given the growth of the Association – in both membership numbers and influence – plus the pivotal role we now play in many key areas, most notably the reshaping of the conveyancing process, we feel it is important that the CA changes to reflect the increasing demands placed upon us. We have repeatedly stated that this is a crucial time for our industry and we want to ensure the CA is best placed to deliver for its members, and to shape the future.

“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.

“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.”