Property experts to help you achieve your goals

Chris James

Head of Property Management

Chris joined AR in 2024 and has enjoyed a varied and interesting career over more than 30 years.

He has previously been Operations Director, Head of Property Management for the 2 largest property companies in the UK as well as Managing Director of smaller boutique businesses. Chris has worked as a consultant both in the UK and internationally throughout mainland Europe, Middle East and Asia. He was the founder of FM24 (later sold to Mace Plc) and the owner of a successful property management company for 12 years.

Chris’s philosophies and values are centred around exceptional customer service, innovation, creating a galvanised, motivated and enthusiastic team and collaboratively delivering the client’s vision for their property or portfolio.

Emma Woolven

Head of Valuations

Emma joined Aitchison Raffety in 2023 and was appointed Head of Valuations in 2025. Emma is a Chartered Surveyor and Registered Valuer and has developed a broad expertise across all major asset classes, with a particular specialism in the retail sector. Throughout her career, Emma has delivered a wide range of valuations for investors, lenders, and developers, from nationwide portfolios to local development schemes.

As Head of Valuations, Emma leads the national valuation division, overseeing service delivery across lending, financial reporting, and acquisitions. She is responsible for setting best practice standards, managing a high-performing valuation team, and fostering strong, long-term client relationships.

Accreditations: MRICS, MSc, BA, RICS Registered Valuer
Fun Fact: My life outside of work revolves around my family and three daughters. My fun fact is that as a youngster I competed for Great Britain in Modern Pentathlon – a sport which involves five disciplines necessary to defend the king.

Gerard Barry

Head of Transactional & Capital Markets

Joe McCarthy

Head of Business Rates

Joe heads up our Business Rates division, overseeing the growth of the division in London and the Regional offices.  He covers all areas of business rates advice including Check Challenge Appeal, empty rates mitigation, deletions and completion notices. 

Having worked in the rating industry for over 10 years, Joe has a wealth of experience advising multi-national clients and appealing large sites across all sectors, specialising in the London office and retail markets. He has successfully secured reductions against the 2010, 2017 and 2023 rating lists on behalf of clients, and has vast experience in Valuation and Upper Tribunal. 

Paula Mace

Director, Head of Healthcare

Paula is a Director and Head of Healthcare here at Aitchison Raffety, one of the country’s leading experts on primary care centres and medical premises. Based out of the St Albans and London offices, she is responsible for the  healthcare team and services nationally.

Her role at Aitchison Raffety further encompasses strategic business planning, business development, risk management and quality control.

Paula joined the company in 2003 and has over 20 years’ experience in the healthcare sector having worked with many medical centres, surgeries, healthcare investors and funds across the country during this time.

Paula is recognised for her knowledge of healthcare property and extensive experience in the healthcare industry and provides a range of services, specialising in valuations for a variety of purposes including secured lending, partnership, accounts, portfolio, and court purposes for a range of clients from individual property owners and investors, to large portfolio investors with a considerable number of medical centres located nationwide. These services also include sale and leaseback, disposal and acquisition, and development work.

Paula is also involved in a variety of Landlord and Tenant work, acting in relation to rent reviews and lease renewal negotiations, dispute resolution, CMR appeals, as well as pharmacy, dental, and other types of clinic/medical rent reviews and lease renewals. She has significant experience as an Expert Witness in relation to rent review and lease renewal disputes including the PACT process.

As well as being a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Paula also qualified as an Independent Expert in 2017 and is a member of the RICS panel of Independent Experts.

Paula’s experience has given her unrivalled knowledge of the healthcare sector and best practices in the industry. She has developed an extensive network of established contacts and relationships which aid her in offering the most refined and bespoke service possible to clients.

Qualifications:  MRICS