Late penalty drama in the Property Cup
Jon Rea-Palmer, head of M4 Corridor at Lambert Smith Hampton and principal organiser of the annual Property Cup tournament, says the standard of this year's competition was the best ever. Only penalties could separate Ryan and Savills as they went toe-to-toe for the trophy this month, with the real estate tax specialists claiming a late shootout victory in west London.
The annual football tournament, which is organised by LSH and raises funds for the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research, returned to a full complement of 16 teams for the first time since the pandemic, when it was paused for a couple of years.
Teams taking part in this year included LSH, CBRE, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, Knight Frank, Savills, Montagu Evans, Gardiner & Theobald, Arcadis, CoStar, Ryan, Hartnell Taylor Cook, Colliers, Glenny, Newmark and The Office Agents Society. Rea-Palmer added: "This year we've had teams bring players in across the nation, not just from certain regions, and it's really been a good competition."
Colliers appoints head of London leasing
Colliers has appointed Charlotte Ashton as its head of London leasing. The appointment comes as Ashton returns from maternity leave, following a secondment at Derwent London. She joined Colliers’ London offices division in 2019 from CBRE, with the firm describing her as being instrumental in securing the team’s reputation as "one of the top three London market advisers". Ashton was promoted to director in April 2022, and in 2023 undertook a secondment with listed London developer Derwent London as a leasing manager gaining landlord-side experience. She will lead the 11-strong London leasing team, part of the London offices division.
Landsec appoints former BBC chief to lead MediaCity
Landsec has appointed global media professional Alice Webb as chief executive of MediaCity in Salford, saying the hire reinforces its "ambition to position the destination as the UK’s leading hub for media. In a newly created role, Webb will lead MediaCity and dock10, the television facility. She will be responsible for "shaping and delivering a long-term vision that reinforces MediaCity as the home of future media" that will support new forms of content creation and digital innovation, and create long-term value for Salford and the wider region. Webb served as chief operating officer of BBC North, directing the broadcaster’s landmark relocation to MediaCity in 2011.
Industrial experts launch agency
Four property agents who previously worked at Avison Young and Knight Frank have formed a specialist industrial and logistics consultancy. Box4 Real Estate will provide advice on disposals, acquisitions, land and capital markets across the UK. The business was founded by James Goode, former head of industrial and logistics in the North West at Avison Young alongside Sam Royle, Edward Kennerley and James Clements, former partners at Knight Frank across the North West and Midlands. The partners, who have 75 years' experience, said: "Our aim with Box4 was simple – to build a business rooted in specialist knowledge, collaboration, and long-term relationships."
Avison Young names Cardiff regional managing director
Real estate advisory firm Avison Young has made Andrew Gibson regional managing director for Cardiff after around four years at the business. Gibson has 15 years of experience in the commercial property sector and leads the development and capital markets agency business in Wales. He began his career in valuation advisory in 2005 before moving into commercial agency in 2007, specialising in development and capital markets.
Avison Young confirmed that Gibson will continue to lead and grow the firm’s presence in Wales, with a particular focus on strengthening client relationships and driving strategic growth in Cardiff and beyond.
Jones Hargreaves makes 10 promotions
Matt Williams, partner at property consultancy Jones Hargreaves, says the 10 promotions made by the business are testament to the hard work and dedication of the staff. Sarah Hazell and Huw Davies are promoted to partner roles in the firm's Cardiff office. London-based Will Jenkins also becomes partner, while Leeds-based senior associate partner Tom Pollard takes on the role of head of office. Harry McDermott and Jack Birchall become senior associate partners along with Danny Little in the Glasgow office. Joe Way has been promoted from senior surveyor to associate in Bristol. Harry Beresford and Parsa Hemmat become senior consultant and consultant.
Law firm appoints new real estate head in England
UK law firm Gilson Gray has appointed real estate lawyer Rajan Shori as partner and head of its real estate division in England. Shori brings two decades of experience to the role, having worked with investors, developers, lenders and corporate occupiers through high-value transactions, acquisitions, and finance deals. He joins the firm from Hugh James, where he spent the last two years as a partner in corporate real estate and banking. Prior to that, he worked with Faegre Drinker. Shori was also a partner at two UK Top 50 law firms and led real estate finance at US firm Dorsey & Whitney in London, where he was responsible for the private property department.
Former Schroders veteran to lead Octopus Capital
Lieven Debruyne has become chief executive of Octopus Capital, Octopus Investments' newly launched institutional asset management brand. Octopus Capital will support clients’ goals with "investment strategies built for performance and purpose", according to the group with £10 billion in funds under management. Debruyne was made executive vice-chair of Octopus Investments in July, with his experience including 20 years at Schroders Investment Management. The launch of the new brand means Octopus Real Estate, the brand name for the specialist real estate lending and investing business, will no longer be used, instead becoming part of Octopus Capital.