Hugh James – Founding Director, Murcia Villas SL, O.P.M.L. (Franchise) Ltd.

He ‘cut his teeth’ in telemarketing for Alamo Rent A Car and then progressed further into the car sales industry. In 1998, he became the youngest Sales Manager in the Mercedes Benz Passenger Car network. He specialised in leasing and motor finance and was recruited by HBoS to represent their asset finance division in the Southwest of England.

A move to Spain beckoned in 2002 and, using his knowledge of Estate Management, his experience in sales and his ability to speak Spanish, set about creating Murcia Villas.

Hugh is a keen sportsman, meaning that he is kept busy over the weekends with playing and coaching cricket for La Manga Cricket Club. He is more than happy to join clients for a round of golf, and is always able to ‘let’ them win, which he manages to do on a regular basis.

Fiona is a graduate from Oxford Brookes University in Biology and Anthropology in 1992 with honours.

Her career spans more than 15 years in sales, marketing and PR. She founded Murcia Villas SL together with husband, Hugh, and worked to bring the company from scratch to its current position as the number one name in lettings and sales in Murcia.

Fiona worked in New Bond Street for PRIcoa: a large American Relocation company, assisting them with the purchase and sale of employee houses, and working on large corporate accounts such as Glaxo Welcome, Cadbury, Heinz and Chevron Oil. She was promoted to Account Manager for the Chemical Chase move, advising on allowances and assisting with accommodation needs for their employees’ move to London.

In 1997 Fiona became an Area Manager for Hambro Countrywide, working solely on the MOD accommodation needs in the South West and managing a team of 8 employees.

A change of scene beckoned in 1999, when Fiona took a marketing position as project manager at ‘Taste of the West’, where she pioneered the promotion of West Country-produced food and drink, one of the best known and most successful of the UK’s food producing regions and championing the West Country Cooking Project, promoting food and beverage producers to the retail market including Tesco, Sainsburys and Somerfield. Her successes include Yeo Valley, Quickes Cheese, Tracklements, Denhay Farm Products, Riverford and Camel Valley Vineyards.

In 2002 the move to Spain brought new challenges and the creation of Murcia Villas SL.

In her spare time she is an amateur taxi driver for her 2 children, which she is obliged to do for free and rarely receives any tips!