Leadership team
Meet the team
Martin King (VR, MBA)
Managing Director
My role is to ensure the business continues to adapt to the requirements of an evolving sector. Alongside my senior leadership team, I am focused on ensuring we deliver a consistent, quality service to our customers and that The FirstPort Group is at the forefront of positive change in our industry.
It is vital that we have a skilled, knowledgeable, and accredited workforce to navigate our increasingly complex industry, and I enjoy leading people and enabling teams to maximise their full potential.
The strategies we have put in place will help us to deliver the best possible service to our customers and meet the needs of our clients, underpinned by our key principles: collaboration, simplicity, clarity and consistency.
Will Ahern (MBA)
Finance Director
As Finance Director, I oversee The FirstPort Group’s financial operations. In my role, I work closely with the leadership team to drive performance, make commercial decisions, manage risk, and ensure continued growth and stability so that we can continue to deliver high quality services for our residents and clients.
The finance team works across the rest of FirstPort to support on monthly results, budgeting and driving our strategy through daily decisions.
What I most enjoy about my role…
The variety of people I get to engage with every day, and the fast pace of what we do as a business to realise the ambitions we have as a company and ensure we’re delivering the very best for our customers and clients.
Jonny Holmes (MTPI, BSc Hons, VIS CMgr MCMI)
Operations Director – South West
My role is to lead our service delivery in the South West, heading up the property management teams and business functions that serve our customers and clients across the region. Having lived and worked in the South West for over 20 years, I am passionate about providing a service that supports our local communities.
I have extensive experience of the different kinds of homes we manage across the region, from historic sites to those with protected species, habits or sensitive ecological areas. Each property we manage is special and unique, and I want to make sure our team’s service reflects that.
What I most enjoy about my role…
I enjoy making a positive impact on the communities we support. I also have a keen interest in sustainability, and enjoy looking for new ways to minimise our environmental impact across the communities we work in.
Gareth Cayford (ATPI)
Operations Director – Later Living and Rest of UK
My role is to ensure the successful delivery of professional, customer-focused property management across a diverse regional portfolio and for our specialist Later Living division. With 10 years’ industry experience, I work closely with our teams to continually enhance the service we provide our customers and improve the way we deliver services.
I’m focused on building strong regional teams to deliver consistent, transparent service and good value for the communities we support.
What I enjoy about my role…
The opportunity to work across a wide range of stakeholders to shape and improve the property management services we deliver is really rewarding, as well as supporting my teams to enhance our customers’ experiences living in well-run developments and strong communities.
Paul Atkinson (MTPI, AssocRICS)
Director of Portfolio and Growth
I am responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships with our clients, working with developers, resident directors, freeholders and investors to ensure the successful management of their properties.
In the context of regulatory change, my team and I are helping our clients to navigate some of the more complex and challenging areas of our industry, working in partnership to support and deliver in the areas that are important to them.
What I most enjoy about my role…
Working closely with my colleagues to help develop our team and the people within it, ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to deliver in an evolving industry landscape.
Cathy Reid
People Director
I’m responsible for supporting our people strategy and ensuring our employees have the support, development and opportunities they need to thrive. Having worked with the business for several years, previously in Customer Experience, I bring a broad understanding of our people, operations and culture to my role as People Director.
I bring extensive leadership and people management experience from my career in retail, where I’ve led teams across learning and development, internal communications and change management. I’m passionate about creating a positive culture where people feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their potential.
What I most enjoy about my role…
I love working with people and seeing the impact that great leadership, development and support can have. I’m excited to build on our strong focus on people and champion new initiatives that help our teams grow and succeed in an ever-changing sector.
Keith Scott (MSc, MSc, L4DipFRA, CFIOSH, FIIRSM, [Hon] FIIAI, MIFSM, MSyl, AMBCI, AssCIPD)
Safety Assurance Director
I lead the planning and delivery of FirstPort’s health and safety strategy, utilising our resources, systems and processes to take a forward-thinking, risk-based approach to keeping our developments safe. Our focus is on embedding this into everyday work, aligning targets to keep resident safety at the heart of everything we do. This includes ensuring our teams engage directly with residents so they understand our role in their safety and can actively contribute to building safety strategies.
Our goal is to position FirstPort as a leader in defining what excellent risk and safety management looks like. With the depth of knowledge, skills, and experience across our teams, we’re committed to shaping best practice and driving meaningful impact across the industry.
What I most enjoy about my role…
I’m passionate about empowering colleagues to stay ahead of safety challenges, fostering more meaningful client conversations, and strengthening partnerships around shared safety objectives. Being part of a team that is committed to protecting residents and shaping best practice in our industry is what motivates me every day.