Mark Nicholls

Born and raised in North Wales, Mark studied Advanced QNVQ Business in sixth form college and then attended John Moores University (Liverpool, England) where he graduated in a BSc Hons degree in Urban Estate Management. The RICS accredited degree covered a broad range of property disciplines such as advanced valuations, portfolio management, investment and international property markets.

After a gap year of travelling, Mark commenced his professional career in the Manchester office of Drivers Jonas as a development consult advising both private and public sector clients on proposed town centre regeneration masterplans and mixed-use development projects in England, Wales and Ireland. Mark also practiced in loan security valuations and acted for both landlords and tenants in rent review disputes. During this 3-year period, he completed the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) to become an accredited Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS).

In 2007 Mark moved to Australia to practice as a commercial property valuer for CBRE Canberra and shortly after transferred into the commercial sales and leasing team. During this 11-year period, Mark became an Australian Citizen and progressed to Director of Capital Markets ACT where he took a lead role in brokering transactions and facilitating high-profile sales and leasing campaigns for commercial, industrial, retail investments and mixed-use development sites.

In 2018 Mark joined Canberra's largest development firm, Geocon Group, as Director of Commercial Sales and Leasing to manage all off-plan commercial sales and leasing transactions across their current and future mixed-use projects. Mark had a key role in working closely with the development managers, architects, hotel division and construction team to identify new opportunities and implement design and retail mix strategies for each of Geocon's major precincts.

In May 2020 Mark re-joined the agency world as Director of Sales at Belle Property Commercial Canberra focusing on building the boutique brand across the ACT and during this time became a Class 1 Real Estate and Stock and Station License holder in both ACT and NSW. Mark has long aspired to be a business owner so in July 2022 he took the plunge and launched Raine & Horne Commercial Canberra in partnership with his wife, Hayley. Mark has established an extensive network of clients that he has built over the years through negotiating commercial property transactions across a range of asset classes. Having a range of experience in commercial property development, planning, valuations, marketing, sales and leasing, Mark has a wealth of knowledge and an extensive network comprising private investors, developers, corporate, SMEs, receivers, institutional funds and government.