Founding members buy majority stake in Ethical Agent Network

Ethical Agent Network (EAN) members, Nick Cheshire and Dan Kirby, who run Nest in Essex estate agency, have acquired a majority stake in the organisation.

The EAN was launched in March 2024 to bring together independent estate and letting agencies committed to high standards of behaviour and service towards clients, colleagues, and the communities they serve.

The ownership change follows six months in which Nick and Dan have taken an increasingly active role in developing the network, including introducing Mini Masterminds, new guides, a member app, and improvements to member content and support.

The pair will take control of the day-to-day running and future development of the EAN, while founder Jerry Lyons will remain as head of PR and Community Consultancy.

Trust trumps higher offer

Jerry Lyons said: “Members will have seen a lot of changes and improvements over the past few months, and the truth is Nick and Dan have been driving much of that.

“I had two offers for the business, and, for complete transparency, one was for more money.

“But I’ve worked with Nick and Dan for years. I trust them, they understand estate agency deeply and they genuinely believe in what the EAN stands for. Both are successful, active estate agents and have been involved with the EAN since its launch. Their vision for its future was more important to me than simply accepting the highest offer.”

Nick Cheshire added: “We loved what the EAN stood for long before there was ever a conversation about buying it. We became founding members because its values reflected how we believe estate agencies should operate.

“When the opportunity came along to invest more of our time and money in the business and help shape its future, we wanted to take it. We’ve a membership filled with some of the best independent estate agencies in the UK and we’re keen to grow that and improve public perception of agents.”

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Author: Gemma