Newcomer takes home Prideview Cricket Cup
Nilesh Patel, Prideview Group principal and organiser of its annual summer cricket tournament, says he is delighted the competition beat its fundraising record earlier this month, as newcomer Lendhub took home the trophy after beating co-sponsor Investec in a thrilling final.
Property professionals from Allsop, Ellis & Co, REIM Capital and Summix, the other co-sponsor, also took part in the sporting contest, which was hosted at Merchant Taylors' School in Northwood, Hillingdon. The teams were supported by former professionals including Owais Shah, Samit Patel and Ali Brown.
More than £50,000 was raised on the day for One Kind Act, a charity that works to improve the lives of people suffering from poverty of health and education around the world. The competition has raised more than £400,000 over its 14-year history.
Patel told CoStar News: "It's a huge amount and, if we can repeat that year on year, we'd be happy. When you are raising those level of funds, that makes a big difference. It's a win-win event because we are helping charity and getting people to come together."
Avison Young appoints head of hotel capital markets
Avison Young has named Govinda Singh as head of hotel capital markets. The firm said he "brings a wealth of experience in capital markets advisory for the hotel and hospitality sectors", having spent more than a decade in leadership roles in Singapore, which included heading up the Asia-Pacific hotel capital markets teams at both Colliers and Cushman & Wakefield. According to his LinkedIn profile, Singh most recently worked at Newmark, where he was executive director, head of hospitality valuation and advisory, APAC. He was there for just under a year. Jordan Alexander joins Avison Young at the same time as an associate director in the firm’s debt advisory team.
Siskind replaces Kavanagh as ULI president
Ed Siskind, founder and CEO of the real estate investment and financing firm Cale Street Partners, became president of ULI Europe at the start of the month, succeeding Anne Kavanagh. Siskind takes the role on a volunteer basis for a two-year term and has been an active member of ULI since 2011. During that time he has served as a director on the global board of directors and has also sat on the European executive committee, in addition to being a member of the global exchange council. "My priorities will include working closely with ULI Europe’s new CEO, Simon Durkin, to help him implement his vision and priorities in the region,” Siskind said.
Former JLL chief executive takes managing partner role
JLL's former UK chief executive office Stephanie Hyde has joined law firm Greenwoods as managing partner. She announced her plans to leave JLL in April last year, with the consultancy naming Matt Richards as her successor in the UK, while retaining his responsibilities as chief executive of capital markets for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Hyde was the first female CEO at a major UK brokerage when she joined in 2021 from PwC after spending a quarter of a century at the 'Top Four' professional services business. She said in a LinkedIn post this week: "It's a firm that's growing fast and has a great future - I'm excited to be part of it."
Property Cup raises £12,000 ahead of crunch World Cup match
Jon Rea-Palmer, director in South East office agency at LSH and principal organiser of the Property Cup, has handed over a cheque worth £12,000 to the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research after a high-quality and ultra competitive tournament. Stephanie Moore, widow of English footballing legend and captain of the victorious 1966 World Cup team Bobby Moore, was at CoStar's London offices this week to receive the donation. LSH won the 2026 edition after beating Savills on penalties in the final. In its current format the tournament has raised more than £60,000 for charity. It is co-organised and sponsored by Porterfield PR.
Cushman & Wakefield hires leisure and restaurants partner
Cushman & Wakefield has appointed Soraya Tavakoli as a partner in its UK leisure and restaurants team. Tavakoli was a director at boutique property agency Distrkt for almost six years, her LinkedIn page shows. Cushman & Wakefield said she will focus on advising restaurant, hospitality and leisure occupiers, as well as landlords across London and the broader UK market. It is mandated at schemes like Battersea Power Station and The Orcale, Reading. Tavakoli said: "My focus will be on helping landlords and occupiers navigate a rapidly evolving landscape, identifying opportunities for growth and creating destinations and leasing strategies that drive long-term success."
Hospitality Beats Cancer prepares for Hadrian's Wall challenge
Members of the UK hospitality sector, including two people in CoStar's STR hotels benchmarking and analytics business, Aoife Roche and Ivana Neskovic, are taking on the 84-mile Hadrian's Wall trek to raise money for Cancer Research UK next month. The hike across the ancient Roman coast-to-coast Northumberland border is being undertaken for Hospitality Beats Cancer, an initiative that brings together leaders across the sector to raise funds for cancer research. Hadrian's Wall is the remains of the Roman defensive wall across the north of its Britannia province, begun in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To donate please click here.