Online property management portal Apropos has confirmed that four senior employees have left during its first year after its launch during the pandemic.
The startup was designed and built by Edinburgh-based property management firm DJ Alexander, with the aim of disrupting the rental industry.
The app, which underwent three years of development, launched last May, allowing landlords to track and manage rental portfolios.
However, since then,
Apropos has seen the departure of COO and CTO Nick Maunder, associate director Rob Trotter, marketing director Brenda Ross and then his replacement Anna Russell.
Maunder, a former RAF pilot, joined DJ Alexander as sales director in 2017 for ATM software giant KAL. He was later appointed to the position in September 2019 and began developing the Apropos software platform with 31 employees in the UK and India.
He was initially hired to oversee the creation of a more efficient IT system, which later evolved into the Apropos concept.
He was appointed chief operating officer of
Apropos in 2020 and is said to have left “amicably” in July to take up the role of chief operating officer at Culford School in Bury St Edmunds.
Meanwhile, former
COO and CTO Nick Maunder
Trotter was head of business development at DJ Alexander Lettings, before being promoted to associate director in 2016 and working at Apropos a year later. He left in March 2021 to start a new business.
Ross left her position at Apropos as chief marketing officer in October after just one year with the company
.
She was replaced by Anna Russell, who helped develop Apropos’ marketing roadmap. However, he lost his job after four months as part of cuts incurred to reduce costs borne by the coronavirus crisis.
The company Apropos received £7 million of funding from Santander before the launch, but that financial facility has yet to be used.
Earlier this week, DJ Alexander released its financial accounts for the year ended December 31, 2020, revealing that the company as a whole had a loss of £416,000, compared to a profit of £629,000 last year.
He cited blocking restrictions affected by companies’ ability to trade. However, it will continue its investment in Apropos and its expansion across the UK.
The pandemic forced directors to restructure the business, to allow it to operate “effectively” while meeting the needs of landlords and tenants.
It stated that despite “backlogs and gaps”, its core residential rental business increased substantially to £191,000, compared to last year with a loss of £163,000.
“Following the launch of Apropos across the UK, the company will continue its growth plans through its technology-led platform, seeking to revolutionise the rental market,” the report reads.
Read more
related articles
Real estate company demands Scottish Government to allocate funds to resolve cladding crisis <img src
David Alexander, Joint CEO of Apropos, commented: “We have seen some personnel changes within the company, but this is a natural part of any business cycle: some people have moved on and we wish them the best in their individual activities in the future.
“We launched our new real estate platform in May last year in what can only be described as one of the most challenging periods for any business in recent memory.
“The platform has been received exceptionally well, however, we have taken reasonable commercial precautions to limit our planned deployment in response to recent closures and unprecedented market conditions.
“Although overall the rental market has held up better than many sectors, we have naturally had to adapt to accommodate the last 18 months.”
The company said apropos would use cutting-edge technology combined with a network of committed local real estate specialists who provide face-to-face connections with clients.
It said the goal was to “revolutionize the rental industry by setting new standards of transparency, fairness and convenience for the benefit of both landlords and tenants.”
Don’t miss the latest headlines with our twice-daily newsletter – sign uphere for free.
