Industry group ICG has overhauled its operating model in a bid to address what it says is one of the biggest barriers to progress in the property sector – a lack of meaningful collaboration between agents, suppliers and people.
Despite no shortage of technology, suppliers or talent, ICG argues the industry remains highly fragmented, with agents often left to make complex decisions on systems, partnerships and recruitment without joined-up support.
Suppliers, meanwhile, struggle to build long-term relationships where value is genuinely shared, while career decisions are frequently disconnected from wider business strategy.
Now entering a new phase, ICG has brought its work across agents, suppliers and people together under a single structure, designed to make collaboration work in practice rather than theory.
CONNECTED AREAS
The refreshed model brings together three connected areas – ICG Community, ICG Collective and ICG Careers – each focused on helping the industry make better decisions, form fairer partnerships and support sustainable long-term growth.
At the centre is ICG Community, a free-to-join network for estate and letting agents, supported by a curated group of approved suppliers. The Community aims to help agents cut through an increasingly crowded marketplace by offering trusted recommendations, peer insight and practical learning, rather than sales-led messaging.
WHAT WORKS
Simon Taylor, who leads ICG Community activity, says: “Agents are overwhelmed by choice. ICG Community helps them understand what genuinely works in real agency businesses, based on shared experience and practical insight, not marketing claims.”
Alongside this sits ICG Collective, a partnership-led model designed to challenge traditional commercial relationships within the sector. The Collective explores deeper collaboration between agents and suppliers, with a focus on sharing the financial value created, rather than value consistently flowing out of the industry.
SHARED BENEFIT
ICG founder Iain White (main picture) says: “Agents invest heavily in technology and services but rarely share in the upside when those businesses succeed. ICG Collective exists to explore fairer, more balanced ways of working together, where collaboration leads to shared benefit rather than one-sided outcomes.”
Completing the structure is ICG Careers, which brings recruitment, mentoring and people support into the same ecosystem. Previously operating under a separate brand, Careers has now been fully integrated into ICG, reflecting the role people decisions play in every growth strategy.
CONNECTING THE DOTS
Myles White, who leads ICG Careers, says: “Hiring and retention are often treated as separate from technology and strategy. ICG Careers connects those dots, helping businesses build teams that last and helping individuals build sustainable, long-term careers in property.”
ICG said the strength of the model lies in how the three strands work together, combining informed decision-making, aligned incentives and long-term people development. As part of the restructure, the group has also launched a new website outlining its purpose and approach more clearly.
The organisation says its message to the industry is that progress will not come from more noise or transactions but from clearer thinking, shared value and a more joined-up approach to people, partnerships and growth.
