Senior hires from AI and property
Hamilton was previously head of AI services and consumer growth at Checkatrade, where he built an agentic AI platform that supports more than 1,000 home services businesses. He said the company's end-to-end approach sets it up to offer tools across communications, compliance and finance, and to use AI in practical ways that save time and improve service.
Marsh co-founded HomeViews, the residential review platform that was sold to Rightmove in a seven-figure deal in 2024. She said residents want transparency, responsiveness and a well-run building, and that Cortile gives managing agents the tools to deliver this.
Murphy will advise on AI strategy. He is a PhD researcher in machine learning at UCL, where he is part of the PRISM and DARK AI research labs, and previously worked in volatility trading at Capula and J.P. Morgan.
Rebranding and profitability
The appointments follow a rebrand unveiled at The Property Institute Annual Conference, where Cortile is Gold Sponsor and official technology partner. Formerly Ark Residential, the business took its new name from the Italian word for an interior courtyard, reflecting its role in connecting property teams and residents. The company, co-founded in 2019 by Manchester-based entrepreneur Akeel Malik, is also profitable. It has received backing from investors including Urban Splash founder Tom Bloxham CBE, Bill Holroyd CBE, Ben Maiden of Hg, and Paul Gough and Uniti Bhalla of STAR Capital.
A single platform for property teams
Cortile brings communications, workflows, compliance, reporting and service charge into one platform used by both property teams and residents. It is used by managing agents overseeing more than 400,000 homes across the UK, with clients including Pinnacle Group, RMG and Urban Splash. More than £10m in service charge payments have been processed through it, and Cortile is the official technology partner of The Property Institute for the UK Service Charge Index. Its technology development has been supported by Innovate UK. The company says the platform helps managing agents run buildings more efficiently and lets residents see what is happening in their homes.
Growth plans
Malik said residential property management has relied on disconnected systems for too long, such as emails and spreadsheets. He added that the company's ambition is to be "the centre of every building we work in." With a profitable business and a stronger leadership team, Cortile says it is ready to grow alongside its clients.