Former WeWork leader on flex business launch; Aware Super UK appoints to board; Newmark adds director

"London is one of the most mature and established markets globally for flexible workspace and, when you're trying to launch a premium product and are aiming at the top of the end in terms of quality, London is the best place to do that,” says Alex Passler, founder and CEO of flexible workspace advisory and operator Vallist.

The former global head of franchising and vice-president of real estate for the Americas at WeWork sat down with CoStar News following the launch of the business' operational flex arm this month. This saw the Singapore-based firm sign a 10-year management agreement with an undisclosed high-net-worth individual for 31,000 square feet at Finlaison House, Holborn.

Passler said the flex operator is targeting between five and eight sites in the capital, all around 30,000 square feet, where it can operate the entire building and have scope to provide high level hospitality features.

He added: "Here in London at the moment a lot of buildings don't meet the energy efficiency ratings which are coming into effect soon. When a landlord wants to spend significant capital to upgrade the building so that it meets his requirement, to add a layer of capex required for this type of product is not significant, but the return on investment is far greater, so it makes sense."

Aware Super UK, the London-based investment office of Aware Super, has appointed Helen Steers as a non-executive director to its board. The firm said Steers brings more than 35 years of global investment experience to Aware Super UK, with "deep expertise across private markets and a focus on private equity". Steers is a partner at global private markets firm Pantheon, where she has spent more than two decades building and leading European investment operations, it added. She became manager of Pantheon International, a FTSE-250 listed private equity investment trust with a portfolio value exceeding £2.5 billion, in March 2020 and has co-managed the trust since June 2023.

Newmark has appointed Richard Baldwin as a partner in its UK leisure team. Baldwin has 25 years of experience in valuation, consultancy, lease advisory and bespoke agency services across core and niche leisure sub-sectors. Based in Leeds and operating nationwide, he has advised on visitor attractions, piers, conference centres, holiday property, marinas and amusement arcades. Prior to joining Newmark, Baldwin was a director at Avison Young, where he formed part of the leisure team. Earlier in his career, he held a senior position at GVA. "I’m looking forward to helping clients navigate the unique challenges and opportunities within this highly specialist sector," he said.

Sadiq Khan has named five board members and one planning committee member to join the West London development corporation, Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation. Alexander Jan, chief economic adviser at London Property Alliance; Alison Dowsett, former managing director, policy and planning at Berkeley Group; and Eleanor Young, a director at Blackstock Partnership join the board alongside Sarah McCready, director of social infrastructure and communications at Barking Riverside and Shahi Islam, director, affordable housing at Homes England. Hannah David, director of Planning Futures, joins the planning committee.

Property consultancy firm JLL has appointed Russell McMillan, who has 25 years of 'Big Four' consultancy experience, to the newly created role of Europe, Middle East and Africa growth and innovation lead. McMillan will be responsible for "driving growth and innovation across consulting, lease administration and transaction management, with a focus on account integration and cross-practice collaboration, in addition to cultivating strong client relationships". Based in London, he reports to Lee Daniels, global growth and innovation lead, with the group saying the hire reflects its "evolving global strategy and enhances its existing capabilities in the EMEA region".

Savills has expanded its development project management industrial and logistics team with the hire of Susannah Packer, who joins as an associate at the firm’s Margaret Street head office in London. Packer has more than seven years’ experience working in property development, specialising in the delivery of industrial property. This involved both asset and investment management for new-build projects, industrial estates and a varied portfolio of real estate. She joins from Hesperia, a boutique developer based in Perth, after relocating from Australia. Clients Packer has worked with include CEVA Logistics, Sandvik and Goodyear Tyres.

Accounting giant Grant Thornton UK has added Ian Guthrie as a partner to lead its real estate advisory business. Working from its London office, Guthrie brings more than 30 years' experience across banking, capital markets, and strategic advisory. He moves from JLL, where he was a senior managing director in banking and capital markets, and also led the pan-EMEA loan advisory business. His other roles include senior positions at HBOS and Lloyds Banking Group, latterly leading the real estate restructuring team. He also advised a major US hedge fund and the UK government. "His appointment will strengthen [our] ability to provide expert insight," the firm added.