Rettie founder stepping into new role after leading Edinburgh property firm for 33 years
“This is a story of continuity, stability, growth and building for the future” – Simon Rettie
Rettie, the upmarket estate agency and property consultancy, has unveiled a reshuffle at the top as it “builds for growth”.
The Edinburgh-headquartered firm said founding director Simon Rettie would be transitioning into the role of chairman at the business he founded in 1993, while current chief operating officer Becky Lindsay was taking up the post of chief executive.
Rettie will remain “actively involved” and focused on key future growth priorities, with day-to-day operations handed over to Lindsay who has been with the firm for more than 20 years.
An executive management team is being created to work alongside Lindsay, with the new roles and structure being confirmed and effective as of January 2027. They will join Alan Cumming, head of sales and financial services, and David Gibson, finance director, to form the new executive team.
Rettie said: “This is a story of continuity, stability, growth and building for the future. We couldn’t be happier to have Becky in the new role, supported by a talented group of executives.”
Lindsay joined the firm in 2004 from Ikea Group, going on to become director of new homes and then chief operating officer, a post she has held since 2010.
Lindsay said: “Rettie has grown to be Scotland’s preeminent property firm under Simon’s leadership, and I look forward to continuing to shape future growth across the business in the years ahead.”
Over the last year, the firm has expanded its operations with a new Edinburgh south office in Morningside to service the city’s EH9 and EH10 postcodes, two of Scotland’s top performing housing areas with average house prices significantly above Edinburgh as a whole. The firm has also relocated its Edinburgh lettings team to a newly refurbished townhouse adjoining its headquarters on Wemyss Place in the capital's New Town.
The firm now has 12 offices and more than 200 employees across Scotland, the north east of England and London, covering residential sales and lettings, new home sales, short lets, land and development, research and consultancy, and mortgages through Rettie Financial Services.
In March, a Rettie study revealed that Scotland’s £1 million-plus home sales had fallen 7 per cent last year as economic uncertainty and the disproportionate impact of higher transaction taxes impacted the top end of the market.
The total number of sales of properties costing £1m or over amounted to 478, down from 514 in 2024, according to the firm. The market was also said to be impacted last year by proposed “mansion” taxes.
Edinburgh topped the list with 234 sales in 2025, but transaction levels were down against the previous year (287). Sales of £1m-plus homes in the rest of the east were marginally down at 119, versus 120 in 2024.
Glasgow almost doubled the number of £1m-plus sales during the year, up to 51 from 27 in 2024. Rest of the west sales were up marginally at 62, versus 61 in 2024, according to the firm’s latest report.
Aberdeenshire saw only seven £1m-plus sales during the year, down from 11 in 2024.
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