The Viking Chats: navigating the choppy waters of property, technology and business

There’s a fascinating shift happening across the property industry right now. On the surface, most of the conversation appears to revolve around legislation. The Renter’s Rights Act. Tribunal reform. EPC targets. Compliance changes. Data transparency. AI. New expectations from consumers. But underneath all of that sits something much bigger: Trust. Who has the information. Who controls the process. And what happens when technology fundamentally changes the balance between the two. In this epi...

When Sarka Wilde first joined me on The Viking Chats, the focus was very different. She was preparing to take on Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside of Asia, raising money for the Propertymark Trust through what would become one of the most physically and mentally demanding challenges of her life. The training was relentless, the commitment extraordinary and the purpose behind it deeply personal. Then everything changed. In this follow-up episode, Sarka returns not to talk about summiting...

In this episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by Annalese Walmsley, Sales Director at Kotini, to explore one of the most overlooked parts of the property journey: onboarding. While much of the UK’s PropTech conversation focuses on portals, valuations and back-office automation, onboarding - that crucial first stage where ID checks, AML, forms, PIQs and more collide - is often held together by digital duct tape. A PDF here. A link there. A dashboard somewhere else. Annalese c...

In this inspiring and refreshingly candid episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by Matt Giggs - founder of The Giggs Group, industry coach, and one of the UK property sector’s most passionate advocates for purpose-driven business. Matt’s journey from high-street negotiator to regional director to founding his own multi-branch agency group is not your typical “scale fast, sell hard” narrative. It’s a story of self-awareness, service and sustainable growth - built on...

In this vital and wide-ranging episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan sits down with Nicola Thivessen, Chairperson on the Zoopla Lettings Advisory Board and one of the UK’s most respected voices on lettings regulation, compliance, and raising standards across the private rented sector (PRS). With a career that spans frontline agency with some of the UK's biggest brands, Nicola brings a unique, full-spectrum view of how the lettings industry works - and where it’s currently failing to deliver f...

In this powerful episode of The Viking Chat, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Carrie Alliston, Head of Partnerships at HomeLet and one of the UK property industry’s most respected voices on compliance, leadership and transformation. After decades of experience in agency - most recently as Group Lettings Director at Hunters - Carrie brings both operational depth and big-picture strategy to every conversation she joins. This is not a surface-level industry chat. It’s a deep dive into the risks w...

In this compelling episode of The Viking Chat, Kristjan Byfield sits down with Elaine Penhaul, founder of Lemon & Lime Interiors and author of Sell High, Sell Fast, for a conversation that bridges the gap between data, design, and delivery in the UK property sector. Elaine is a leading voice in home staging, but her message isn’t about soft furnishings and fluff. It’s about strategy - the measurable, evidence-led kind that directly impacts how fast a property sells, who it attracts, and h...

In this compelling episode of The Viking Chat, Kristjan Byfield welcomes industry powerhouse Julie Ford of Lettings Advice Service for a conversation that might just change the way you view rent arrears, evictions, and the entire tenant-landlord dynamic. With over 30 years in housing, local authority liaison, tenant support, and compliance, Julie Ford brings a razor-sharp perspective on the biggest challenges facing the private rented sector (PRS)- from the staggering £1.7 billion rent a...