"I want people to be excited and keen to come into the office again and I believe we all need face-to-face interactions to be happy and productive," says Katrina Lamberton, who has been appointed by developer Socius as a senior project manager at its £500 million Botanic Place development in Cambridge. Joining from multinational real estate group Lendlease, Lamberton has more than 20 years’ experience in construction and development.

In her previous role, Lamberton worked on projects including the 60-acre transport hub at Euston and a 5 million-square-foot office development at the International Quarter East London for the Financial Conduct Authority's new head office. More recently, she worked on the 50-acre mixed-use development scheme at Silvertown Quays.

Speaking with CoStar News, Lamberton said the team at Botanic Place is working to make the office-led scheme the "most sustainable and intelligent workspace in the UK outside of London". She says: "Every decision we are making as a project team, from procurement, through to the materials we use and re-use, is underpinned by our aim to deliver best-in-class workspace that allows for future flexibility."

She adds: "I’m fortunate we have an extremely talented project team who are keen collaborators which allows me to soak up their knowledge and grow my skill set. I will also be focusing on the social value aims of the project and being able to give back to the local area is important to me, Socius, our investor Railpen and the whole design team."

Industrial property developer Segro has hired Anna Bond to lead its Western Corridor team, overseeing the company’s development and asset management activities across the Thames Valley. Bond has more than 20 years’ experience in the real estate sector and joins from Grosvenor’s UK property business, where she was executive director, responsible for the delivery and letting of the development pipeline across office, retail, residential and public realm. She will join Segro in June and will be a member of the company’s UK leadership team reporting to UK managing director, James Craddock. Her role will see her lead on Thames Valley assets, such as the Slough Trading Estate in West London.

Lambert Smith Hampton has appointed Jonathan Cook as a director in its Manchester office agency division to grow the agency's presence across and instructions across the North West. Cook has 12 years' experience in the Manchester office market and has worked with a number of notable North West landlord and occupier clients, including CBRE IM, Orchard Street Investment Management, APAM and M&G. He joined CBRE in 2014, became an associate director in 2019 and then a director in 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. Ryan Dean, national head of transactional services at LSH, said in a statement: "Jonathan brings with him a wealth of experience and key industry contacts, which will only add significant value to both clients and colleagues alike."

Major UK retailer John Lewis has chosen former Tesco chief executive Jason Tarry as its seventh chairman, with the experienced retail leader set to take over from Sharon White, who is stepping down at the end of her five-year term. Tarry brings more 33 years of experience at the UK supermarket chain, where he led the UK and Ireland business for six years.

John Lewis said his experience spans grocery, general merchandise and fashion in senior commercial, operational and general management positions, having joined the Tesco graduate programme in 1990. John Lewis, which returned to profit after three years in the red, added that he will work closely with Nish Kankiwala, the partnership’s CEO.

Eastdil Secured, the global real estate investment bank, has appointed experienced professional Johnny Horgan as a managing director. He will be based in Dublin and will focus on supporting clients across the country, using his "deep familiarity with the market and decades of experience advising on some of the country’s most prominent" real estate deals. He succeeds Peter Geissel, who moves into a senior adviser role at the company after almost 12 years as managing director. Horgan has previously worked at Alantra and BidX1, as well as spending five years as executive director and head of capital markets for CBRE Ireland.

Global real estate firm Avison Young UK has hired Ben Hood as a senior planner in its London planning team, joining from Turley after three years. Hood will advise on a range of complex and high-profile projects across London and the south east, focused around residential, hotel, leisure and mixed-use developments, and Central London office developments. Avison Young described Hood as a "vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion within the industry", having previously spearheaded a workplace mental health awareness week and establishing an internal LGBTQ+ network.

Cushman & Wakefield has hired GXO Logistics assistant treasurer Luke Herbert as its global treasurer. At GXO, where he spent three years, Herbert was responsible for cash management, liquidity planning, capital structure strategy and financial risk management globally. He also worked as capital markets and corporate finance senior director at International Game Technology and was director of global debt capital markets at Barclays. Herbert will be based in New York City, reporting to the firm’s chief financial officer, Neil Johnston, who said: “Luke brings a wealth of experience to the role, and I am confident his expertise will be instrumental in driving our financial strategy forward and ensuring our firm’s continued success."