Land Data has announced the appointment of Juliet Whitworth to its Board, taking over from the retiring Claire Holloway. Whitworth, who is Head of Research and Information at the Local Government Association, brings new data and research experience to the board, alongside her strategy and senior leadership expertise say Land Data.
Land Data was set up by government in 2001 to manage and regulate the newly created National Land Information Service (NLIS), the first platform for electronic, Official Searches. Commenting on her appointment, Imtiaz Farookhi, Chairman of the Land Data Board said:
“Juliet brings the skills and experience we need to drive forward Land Data’s role in the searches market and ensure that NLIS continues to protect consumers with its comprehensive, government-guaranteed Official Searches.
Fiona Barron, Land Data Chief Executive, added:
“Juliet is joining us at a critical time, when we’re redefining the shape of Land Data and NLIS. Her analytical skills, not to mention her deep local government knowledge, will be essential here. As a Community Interest Company, we want to improve the way the searches market works for the benefit of all parties. In particular, we want to support conveyancers to offer the best consumer protection to the consumer and ensure local authority teams can continue to maintain and manage our high-quality land and property data long into the future.”
In her current role Juliet leads a team that commissions and conducts research projects and analysis to help the Local Government Association(LGA) better represent councils and support local authorities. Her team also delivers a programme of work to help authorities make better use of data.
Alongside her role on the board of Land Data, she sits on the board of GeoPlace LLP, a joint venture between the LGA and Ordnance Survey, which works with councils to produce street and address data, championing Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRN). Managing Director of GeoPlace Nick Chapallaz also sits on the Land Data Board.
On her appointment, Whitworth said
“I’m looking forward to working with the Land Data team and bringing a local authority perspective to the key decisions which lie ahead. Land Data provides two unique roles in the home buying and selling market – it is the only provider of regulated Official Searches, and the only industry champion of council local land charges teams. These are both essential functions which we need to safeguard.”
