Knight Property Group donates £60,000; Greystar appoints development chief; Cushman promotes

Knight Property Group has raised £60,000 of festive funding for 28 charities across Scotland through the Barrack Charitable Trust, established by trust chairman and company co-founder James Barrack Senior. The money is part of the trust’s biannual giving programme, aimed at supporting a range of organisations dedicated to making a difference.

The latest round of money supports charities, from small community-based groups to nationwide initiatives, addressing challenges including poverty, homelessness, mental and physical health, education and youth support. The trust is open for applications twice a year.

Barrack said: "We are incredibly proud to support such a wide range of dedicated organisations working tirelessly to improve lives across Scotland, through the Barrack Charitable Trust. We believe in giving back to the communities where we live and work and this is especially meaningful as we approach the festive season. These charities provide essential support to so many and it is an honour to play a part in their vital work."

Greystar has hired Thomasin Renshaw as managing director of UK development. She will lead its strategy across build-to-rent and PBSA, reporting to Daniel Breeden, senior managing director, UK. Renshaw joins from Pocket Living, where she was chief development officer overseeing its major London schemes, including Sheepcote Road in Harrow. Prior to that, she worked at Grosvenor and Muse Developments.

Breeden said: "Thomasin’s experience in regeneration and partnership delivery will support our aim to bring more professionally managed rental homes to market and contribute meaningfully to the national effort to increase supply."

Cushman & Wakefield has appointed Rory MacGregor as head of science and innovation to lead its team across EMEA. The firm said MacGregor will work closely with Charles Dady, head of national office agency, and David Hutchings, head of investment strategy, EMEA Capital Markets. Based in London, MacGregor previously led the firm’s science and innovation capital markets team, advising on deals such as the €200 million investment into the Deeplabs platform in Spain on behalf of Inmobiliaria Colonial. His LinkedIn profile shows that he has worked at Cushman & Wakefield for around nine and a half years and also worked at CBRE.

Avison Young's managing director of transactions Chris Cheap has left the company to pursue new opportunities. It is understood he told bosses at Avison Young of his decision at the end of November in news first reported by Place North West and has been placed on gardening leave.

Cheap is an experienced office agent who has held multiple senior roles in Manchester, was appointed to the role last year, having been chief transformation officer before that. Cheap joined GVA UK as a regional senior director in 2004, with that company being acquired by Avison Young in 2019. Cheap and Avison Young declined to comment.

In May, former Greystar UK managing director Michela Hancock launched Hilltop Property Partners, a new rental housing platform, with European real estate entrepreneur Paul Oberschneider, after study psychology at university. Earlier this month, she spoke to CoStar News about launching HPP, how her experience has shaped her business approach and the company’s investment thesis.

She said: "When I started working with clients in my final year, I found it hard to disconnect from their challenges and found myself worrying about them all the time. Eventually I made the decision to change careers and go into business."

JLL has given director Ben Farrell an expanded role in its national offices investment team. He moved to JLL in 2022, working in the Glasgow office as part of its Scottish capital markets team. He began his real estate career 10 years ago and has been involved in cross-sector investment transactions. Farrell will join the national offices investment team in London advising across the regional office markets.

Simon Verrall, head of national offices investment, said: "We will undoubtedly benefit from [Ben's] inherent knowledge of regional markets and the depth of his expertise and understanding of the trends and shifts that are impacting our sector."

Benedict Cumberbatch, Dawn French and Ian Hislop joined 2025 Traitors star Celia Imrie and other celebrity ‘readers’ in raising a record £1.05 million for The Story of Christmas charity this month, backed by major property firms such as Segro, Landsec, Almacantar, Delancey, CBRE, JLL, Knight Frank, Nuveen, Tritax Big Box and CoStar. The Story of Christmas has been supported by the industry since its inception in 1978 and again took the form of a service with celebrity readings at St George’s Church in London’s Mayfair. The Story of Christmas finances capital projects benefitting homelessness, disabled and disadvantaged children across the UK.