Charles Spicer tells CoStar News that he "couldn't say no" to the opportunity of heading up Gerald Eve's national industrial and logistics team, having joined the Newmark-owned company after 16 years at rivals Savills. Spicer was a director and part of the senior leadership team for the national industrial and logistics team at his former employer and represented "nearly every major industrial developer" while working in the Midlands. He says this experience stands him in good stead for what is ahead at the new place.

"While I am based in London, I've spent nearly 20 years in the Midlands and I very much see the ability to galvanise and build a national team having that regional background, and knowing how the regional markets differ in part to the South East," Spicer says. "2023 was quieter than previous years, but the fundamentals still remain. The logistics sector remains resilient... there will continue to be significant industrial activity and requirements."

Last year Newmark completed its acquisition of UK brokerage Gerald Eve in a transaction revealed by CoStar News, helping to propel it into the major league in the UK. Spicer says Newmark is looking to "supercharge the business", predicting exciting times ahead as the firm looks to grow its personnel, revenue and profit in a short period of time. He adds the UK operation wants to get smarter with how it uses its large client list, as well as embrace new technologies to become a best-in-class operation.

"Expanding the current agency offering and building a team which has excellent developer and occupier relations. Gerald Eve has an enviable list of occupier clients through its rating and management business. [So I want to] bring a more holistic view to those clients and seeing where we can help with their logistics requirements, and offering a one-stop-shop. There is a huge untapped opportunity with the current occupier client base."

Global commercial real estate firm Avison Young has appointed David Martin as interim regional managing director for Birmingham. He takes over from Carl Potter, who has led the Birmingham office since 2018. The firm said that Martin will play a crucial part in driving revenue growth at a regional level, "applying his deep understanding of the Midlands market" and leveraging partnerships with key clients and stakeholders. Prior to taking up the role, Potter spent 18 years as a principal in Avison Young’s building and project consultancy division, leading a multidisciplinary team of building surveyors, quantity surveyors, project managers and services consultants, and working across a range of projects for both public and private sector clients.

Blackstone’s former international chief financial officer Vijay Bharadia has been made an independent non-executive board member of The Crown Estate, the reigning UK monarch’s property company. Bharadia has “substantial and wide-ranging experience” in financial, operational and risk management in the alternative asset management sector, including real estate. He was Blackstone’s international CFO for a decade and was responsible for financial, tax and regulatory reporting across Europe and Asia. The Crown Estate also confirmed that Sir Robin Budenberg CBE will continue as chair after having his final term extended, while Café Rouge co-founder Dame Karen Jones DBE has been re-appointed to the board.

Bruntwood CEO Chris Oglesby and tenants at the developer's Valo building in Manchester hosted His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh earlier this month as part a wider visit by the royal promoting the importance of education and the arts. The Duke met young people in higher education at University Academy 92, as well as those studying in the performing arts at Shockout, while at Valo, a circa 156,000-square-foot facility at the mixed-use Lumina Village scheme south of the city centre. Chris Oglesby, chief executive of Bruntwood and chief executive of life sciences joint venture partnership Bruntwood SciTech, said helping to upskill and provide opportunities for the next generation of northwest talent "is crucial to removing barriers for underserved groups to thrive".

Former Morgan Stanley dealmaker Guy Metcalfe, who worked on big commercial property sales including Blackstone's $39 billion purchase of Sam Zell’s Equity Office Properties Trust in 2007, has joined CBRE's board as the brokerage looks to grow through acquisitions. Metcalfe, who most recently served as managing director and global chairman of Morgan Stanley's real estate investment banking business, retired from the financial giant in January. He worked at the firm for over 30 years and led Morgan Stanley's real estate business for nearly two decades. He joins CBRE's board as the firm expands by acquiring companies, especially those that can add recurring revenue from fees paid for services such as facility management.

Private wealth and real estate law firm Boodle Hatfield has hired Naomi Heathcote as a partner in its real estate practice, moving across from Charles Russell Speechlys. Heathcote’s practice centres on advising urban and rural estates on residential property matters. She will have a particular focus on leasehold enfranchisement, where she has a wealth of experience, with her new firm saying she focus on estate management and strategy along with the intricacies of leasehold reform. Andrew Wilmot-Smith, head of real estate at Boodle Hatfield, said in a statement: “We are thrilled to welcome Naomi to the firm. Her experience and understanding of some of the key issues facing residential landlords continues our strategy of building up our urban estates practice and offering a full service to such estates across the residential and commercial spectrum.”

Technology infrastructure specialist NCG, which helps firms with their transition to renewable energies, has appointed Christopher Baldock as its new chair. Baldock has more than 40 years experience working in senior roles across the technology, telecoms and energy sectors. Having been a sales and marketing director for Motorola Solutions and Atlantic Networks in the 1980s, he then became managing director of Modular Technology between 1990 and 2003. NCG has previously worked with global real estate agency Colliers, as well as other well-known firms, such as Deliveroo and CloudKitchens, providing tech solutions for flexible workspace propositions, such as NewFlex and infinitSpace.