Indurent appoints head of investment transactions
"With the business now firmly established as a leading player in the industrial and logistics market, it feels like the right time to step away, enjoy some time with my family and seek a new challenge," says James Cooper, the former head of investment transactions at Indurent said after it was announced Will Lutton would be taking the reins at the UK developer-owner.
Lutton steps up to lead the team and oversee investment strategy and execution across the business. He was deputy head of transactions at the firm, a role that meant he was involved in all new transactions and oversee key processes related to onboarding and valuations across the portfolio.
He spent seven years in asset management and investment at Telereal Trillium before joining C2 Capital, acquired by Stenprop in 2017, as an investment manager. He later became head of investment for Industrials REIT prior to its acquisition by Blackstone in 2023.
The departing Cooper has led the transactions function since joining St Modwen in 2022, which was acquired by Blackstone for £1.2 billion in 2021. It then merged with Industrials REIT to form Indurent in 2024. He added: "It’s been an honour and a pleasure to lead St Modwen and latterly Indurent’s Investment Team over the last four years, and oversee the acquisition of over £2.5 billion of assets in that time."
Sentinel launches UK platform with industry veteran hire
Sentinel Real Estate, the New York City-based property investment management firm, has hired industry veteran Ben Sanderson to lead its entry into the UK living sector. Joining as managing director, Sanderson will be based in its new London office and oversee the formation of its fully-integrated investment platform in the country. He has more than 25 years of global real estate experience, with particular expertise in residential investment across the UK, Europe, the US and Australia. He moves from Aviva Investors where he was a managing director. Sanderson served as chair of the Investment Property Forum from 2020-22 and is still as a board member.
JLL appoints Exeter office lead
International property services firm JLL has appointed Grace Hicks as lead director of its Exeter office as it works to expand its presence in the South West. Hicks is a director in the firm's compulsory purchase business and a qualified RICS Accredited Mediator and MRICS Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers qualified surveyor. She will oversee the continued growth of JLL's Exeter office, working alongside the wider South West team to "deliver comprehensive property advisory services to clients across the region". She will continue to lead the business' South West compulsory purchase team, which she has done for the last four years.
British Land chief executive Simon Carter to step down
Simon Carter, the chief executive of British Land, is to step down after five years in the role and 18 years at the leading UK real estate investment trust. Carter is leaving to become CEO of P3 Logistics Parks, the GIC-owned investor, manager, and developer of logistics properties in Europe. Carter, who is the president of the British Property Federation, initially joined British Land in 2004, working in several roles across strategy, corporate finance and treasury, before leaving in 2015 to become chief financial officer at Quintain Estates and Development and, later, Logicor. He returned to British Land as CFO in 2018 and was appointed CEO in 2020.
Vastint looks to Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield for managing director
Real estate investor-developer Vastint UK has appointed Penny Cameron as managing director from Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. Cameron spent around three years at URW where she was head of development and responsible for the business' mixed-use development pipeline across the UK. She succeeds Stephen Lindley, who is leaving the business after three years as managing director and a decade as finance director before that. Vastint said the recruit will lead the firm's nationwide development strategy across its landmark regeneration projects, including Sugar House Island in East London, Aire Park in Leeds and Embankment in Cardiff. She previously worked at Hammerson.
Graham and Sibbald opens Dumfries office
UK chartered surveyors and property consultants Graham and Sibbald has named residential surveying specialist Scott Morton as the head of its new Dumfries office. The branch became the firm's 22nd office, with staff based at Hestan House on Crichton Business Park. Morton has more than eight years of experience, surveying residential properties in Dumfries and Galloway. He spent more than eight and a half years with Allied Surveyors Scotland before joining the business, according to his LinkedIn profile. Graham and Sibbald said the opening of the Dumfries office "helps enhance our reach and show our commitment to the South West of the country".
King's Cross Group adds to asset management team
The King’s Cross Group, which manages the ongoing development of the 67-acre site in central London, has added Vasiliki Arvaniti and Jane Macdiarmid to its senior leadership team. Both Arvaniti, who is hired as portfolio director, and Macdiarmid, who becomes head of retail asset management, join the firm's asset management division as it prepares for its next phase of growth. Arvaniti is currently head of asset management at Derwent London and will focus on driving performance across The King’s Cross Group’s portfolio. Macdiarmid joins from Grosvenor, where she was previously retail portfolio director for Belgravia.