Knight Frank makes heavyweight hires; Segro CFO to leave; Goold Estates hire development director

Richard Brooke is one of two heavyweight appointments to be made by Knight Frank in Leeds this month. Brooke, who is recruited as a partner and specialises in capital markets, has previously worked for Allsop and Cushman & Wakefield. Brad Harris, who has expertise in residential land and development, is the other recruit, who is also hired as a partner. The pair were born and educated in Yorkshire, with Knight Frank saying that they are proud to remain working in their native county. Eamon Fox, head of the Leeds office, said: "These are two very significant and heavyweight appointments for us and will take our talented team up to another level."

Soumen Das, Segro's chief financial officer, has told the REIT's board he will retire from the role after more than eight years with the listed company. Das, who is also executive director at the logistics property specialist, will continue at the firm until the end of the year to ensure an "orderly transition of his responsibilities". The REIT confirmed that it has begun a process to find a successor, with an announcement to be made in due course. Das said in a statement: "I have hugely enjoyed the part I’ve played in its expansion and performance and have great confidence in its future prospects."

Goold Estates, the West Midlands-based property investment and development company, has appointed Matt Bevington as a new development director. Bevington will lead the delivery of the group's portfolio of industrial and logistics projects across the region and joins from Trinity Property Consultants, bringing more than 30 years of industry experience. Bevington's career spans both contractor and consultancy roles, having worked as a quantity surveyor, employer’s agent, and project manager on a wide range of developments. Dominic Goold, managing director of Goold Estates, said in a statement: "We’re delighted to have him on board as we push forward."

Mileway, the Blackstone-owned pan-European last-mile logistics company, has announced that chief executive Tim Beaudin will hand over responsibilities to David McClure in September. He will remain with Mileway until the end of the year and will then become a senior adviser to the business. Beaudin was appointed CEO of Mileway in July 2023 following a 40-year career in real estate in the US and Europe. Blackstone said Beaudin has been instrumental in consolidating the company’s position as the "leading last-mile logistics platform in Europe, following a period of significant expansion". McClure is a senior managing director at Blackstone, where he oversees Blackstone’s European logistics investments, including Mileway. He has spent over a decade at the firm in Europe and Asia, where he was head of Asia real estate asset management.

Savills has strengthened its London planning team with the hire of director Bhakti Depala, who will be based in the firm’s Margaret Street office. Depala, a chartered town planner, joins Savills from City of London Corporation where, over the last 12 years, she has held the positions of senior planning officer, head of planning delivery and, most recently, assistant director of the City development and investment unit. Her primary focus will be to help grow the business, particularly in central London.

Head of planning David Jackson said: "It is great to have Bhakti join us with her outstanding knowledge of the City of London and the business ecosystem that exists there."

The investment arm of Norway's sovereign wealth fund Norges has appointed Alexander Knapp as global head of real estate. Knapp joins Norges Bank Investment Management from global investment giant Hines, where he was chief investment officer, Europe, and a member of the global executive committee and the global investment committee. The recruit will be responsible for the fund’s listed and unlisted global real estate investments and strategy implementation and he will be based in London – the first time the business has based the role outside Oslo since it established a real estate platform in 2007. Knapp is the fourth postholder.

L&G has made Steph Moore its head of property operations in its asset management business after Mark Tyson moved to Bellrock. The multinational financial services and asset management firm said Moore will "drive and own" its relationships with key property management partners, continue to evolve Vizta, L&G’s digital business-to-business platform, and support wider real estate growth in L&G’s private markets platform.

She joins the business after spending 20 years at JLL in its property and asset management business, most recently as L&G’s contract director, a role she held since January 2024. Tyson leaves to take up a new role as a managing director at Bellrock.

Shannon Loew, Amazon's head of international real estate is leaving his role just as the online retail giant plans to expand its offices in New York and other markets after calling its corporate workers back five days a week. Amazon confirmed with CoStar News' US team that Loew, its vice-president of global corporate real estate and facilities, will leave his job and the company. Amazon did not give a specific departure date for Loew, who joined Amazon in early 2023. "After almost three years at Amazon, Shannon has decided to pursue other opportunities," company spokesperson Brad Glasser said in an email on Tuesday. "We appreciate all his contributions and wish him the best of luck."