Hello, I’m Alasdair. I was born in Paddington, then lived on the other side of the world for a bit, then came back here. Went to University, then moved to Oxford to run pubs and play records in nightclubs. Once this became undignified, I started selling houses. Ended up working in the franchise side of an agency, with branches from Leeds to Bristol to London and back again. I’m not much of a fan of driving though, so came back to the roost here in N5 where I manage the Highbury branch – delighted that I did as well. I can do all my appointments on a bike – that’s me, on the black and orange Brompton.

Hello! I’m Rita! I recently joined the property management team and manage the Highbury Portfolio. I grew up in Highbury so having the opportunity to manage properties within this area is great! I have a number of years’ experience in AST and block management, so I am excited to be able to bring my skills and experience into my role here at HD. Although I am part of the Highbury team, I am currently based in the Islington office. I am very family oriented and also enjoy socialising with my friends. In my spare time I enjoy reading, working out, great food and travelling!

Hi, I’m Gino. I joined the Highbury lettings team in June 2019. Previously i worked in a management role at a primary school for 7+ years which was really rewarding and have many treasured memories coaching and teaching children, however, i always knew i was destined for a career in the property industry. I have done my fair share of building projects over the years doing most of the work myself, so I’m very knowledgeable when it comes to property development and maintenance. Working at Hotblack Desiato has taught me how amazing and diverse the London market can be, we cover everything from traditional period properties to new developments. Learning this industry from everyone with their wealth of experience it’s very reassuring to work with such a long established company. In my spare time you can find me walking my two little rescue dogs on Hampstead Heath playing fetch; that would be me fetching my dogs back from someones picnic basket… I hope to help you find your new home at some point in the near future.

Hi! I’m Saskia and I’ve recently joined the sales team in the Highbury office. Although I have grown up in Primrose Hill for all of my life, the bars and buzzy nightlife always lured me towards Islington! After deciding university wasn’t for me and a year of dog walking, I realised that I wanted to start a career in property and became an estate agent in Finchley. However lovely Finchley was, I wanted to start selling properties in a more diverse, visionary area. So, I joined Hotblack Desiato! Not only do I get to the satisfaction of helping people through their journey into finding their perfect property, but we’re also right next to Arsenal stadium! Which my Arsenal fanatic family seems to be very happy about..  

I spent most of my adult life living in the North London and Camden area. My first job straight out of school was working in the London Borough of Camden planning department, I was there for 6-7 years and I was an interesting place to work with a good introduction to the work place. I remember the day the planners came into the office with the designs and models for the Kings Cross redevelopment area. After 7 years there I felt I needed to do something different and ended up working for a small independent estate agency in Kings Cross covering the Angel, Clerkenwell, Old Street, and King Cross area. It was a pretty broad diverse area with range of people and properties. I stayed at that agency for about 7 years and watched the Kings Cross area change from the models I first saw many years ago to the utterly transformed place it is now. After working in the same branch and area for many years I felt that I needed a change and moved to a large franchise in the West Hampstead area where I stayed for 2 years.. After 2 enjoyable years and discovering a new part of London which didn’t know very well I decided to move on and came to Hotblack. I had heard of Hotblack before ,so when I was offered a role I was happy to accept. Coming to the Highbury area had been an interesting experience, surprisingly very similar to West Hampstead in that it has that a very local feel, with a group of residents that know the area well and are very invested into it which gives it the special community feel. After over 10 years working the property industry in North London I still enjoy going out to meet people and helping them on their journey in finding a new home and seeing the interesting range of properties.  

I first joined Hotblack’s in 2015 and stayed for 4 years working in the Islington office as a lettings negotiator. I left for a while because I wanted to gain experience by working for one of the large corporate firms, and I believe that I benefited from this because Hotblack’s came back to me and offered me the Manager’s role in Highbury which I am really enjoying and it feels good to be back working for Hotblack’s. Outside of work, I like to travel, spend time with family and friends and keep fit.