Accelerating Careers in Real Estate

In this episode I sit down with Matthew Lusty, Construction Director for the historic landmark project: Old War Offices. The scheme is a once in a lifetime, yet for Matthew it is one of a series of mega projects he has led. Matthew has built a career focused in major projects in London having worked at Stanhope, Battersea Power Station Development Company and now OWO. He answers questions on how h...

In this episode I get to sit down with Tom Goodall, Partner and Head of Residential for Argent Related. Tom is responsible for a pipeline of 8,000 homes covering Kings Cross, Tottenham Hale and Brent's Cross Town. Tom shares his career story starting with the influence of a stranger on his career choices to Chartered Architect, Project Manager to Development Manager. He gives his views on having t...

In this episode I sit down with Will Chambers, Acquisitions Director for Perseus Land, a regional developer and investor focused in the care and later living sector. Will is part of our next generation leaders mini series looking at what building blocks have these individuals put into place followed by the challenges they face in their next chapters of growth. Will has built a successful career in...

In this epiosde I am joined by Hala El Akl. Hala is a Director at PLP Architecture and Founding Director of PLP Labs. With over twelve years’ experience, Hala directs teams on commercial, life-science, residential, retail and mixed-use projects across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. At PLP Labs, she leads teams exploring new ideas for future cities. Hala shares her story of school in Bei...

In this episode I get to sit down with Nick Cuff, Chief Commercial Officer for Pocket Living. Nick's career began in politics, spending 12 years as an elected councillor including 4 years chairing Wandsworth Planning Commitee during the birth of nine elms development region and approving the Battersea Power Station masterplan. Nick shares his story including the influence his parents had on his ca...

In this episode I sit down with Galyna Permyakova, Director of Real Estate Development for Patrizia, Netherlands. Galyna is Ukrainian born, who started her career in international law, transitioning to finance to be a hedge fund manager for the largest dutch pension fund before making her move to real estate establishing the offices of Greystar in Holland and on to Patricia to establish their loca...

This is a really important milestone for me and the podcast. One year since we began to release the episodes of the Accelerating Careers Podcast. In that time the podcast has grown a global audience and explored the traits of 24 successful careers. I am extremely grateful for our guests sharing their personal career stories but so too for each and every listener. I will continue to explore these t...

Tom and I sit down to discuss his career within real estate advisory having spent 19 years in commercial real estate and 18 of those years in Asia Pacific, specifically Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, Singapore and Thailand. I really wanted to hear from Tom how these new cultures, geographies and challenges had shaped his career. Tom speaks about the need to stay humble and abs...

4 weeks ago I was honoured to sit down with Mark Castle as all the news was buzzing about him stepping down from Mace Construction as their COO. Mark joined Mace in 2005 to set up Mace’s fixed price construction business. With over 35 years’ experience, Mark has managed UK and USA based organisations. He and Gareth Lewis have built the Mace Construction business to a £1.7bn turnover business from...

In this episode I sit down with Lee Stentiford, Director of Development Management and leader for their Leadenhall Street scheme "Gotham City". Lee has been continually challenging himself to develop throughout his career from chartered engineer, consultant project manager and now development manager for the worlds 5th largest Real Estate investor. He shares the lessons he learnt from working for...

This evening I sit down with Jonathan Goldstein, CEO and Co-Founder for Cain International. Jonathan and I discuss his earlier career in law, which includes him rising to managing partner at the age of 32 of ‘Law Firm of the Year’ Olswang. Despite this success in the legal profession he seemingly was not content and starts again in a new industry as he joins Gerald Ronson in his real est...

Steven Skinner is the CEO for HB Reavis UK. Hired originally as Acquisition Director for the commercial developer who only landed in London 4 years ago, he was quickly promoted to CEO for the UK at the age of 34. Steven’s earlier career includes some equally time defying promotions within Savills City Investment and BNP City and West End offices. He was a great guest, embodying the attitude of the...

Our first US guest, Nelson talks us through his career up to now when he leads Endeavors Multi-Family programme for more than $2bn. Nelson shares a story of being born into a real estate family yet someone who has carved out his own path. A path that has stemmed from analytical background leading to entrepreneurial risk taking leaving behind the safety of big names and starting out on a course to...

Our first guest from Asia and I doubt I could have spoken to a more inspiring and driven individual. Varoon is the CoFounder of Princeton Digital Group a Warbus Pincus backed investor, developer and operator of data centres. Varoon shares a story that travels from India, London, New York and Singapore. A career which has began in one sector and morphed into another by seizing an opportunity. Final...

In this episode I sit down with Warwick Hunter, Managing Director for Asset and Development Management for Henley Investments. Warwick shares a fascinating story. A story that includes highlights working for several of the most revered employers beginning as a graduate intake with Drivers Jonas, CO-RE, Great Portland Estates, Qatari Diar and now Henley Investments. Warwick describes the lessons le...

Good evening everyone... This is a break from the normal fortnightly episode routine but also a rather exciting one. I am very proud to announce that moving forward the ACCELERATING CAREERS IN REAL ESTATE PODCAST will now be in partnership with the Urban Land Institute (ULI). In this episode I am joined by Lisette van Doorn, ULI Europe CEO, to talk through the partnership and why we make such a gr...

In this episode I sit down with Sammie Steele, Managing Director of Placemaking and Regeneration for Places for People. Sammie has built a career with DTZ, HCA, Crest Nicholson and now Places for People. Sammie describes her career working in residential development through commercial consultancy, public sector, plc housebuilder and now in the affordable housing sector facing up to private sector...

In this episode I sit down with Mark Woodrow, Joint Managing Director of Packaged Living. In just two years Packaged Living has 2,000 build to rent homes in the pipeline with a further 1,000 as DM partner and having launched a £100m single family home fund with the support of Fiera Real Estate. Mark’s career began as a civil engineer, project manager, development manager and now company owner. He...

In this episode I get a chance to sit down with Amelia Bright, Executive Director of the London Estate for Grosvenor UK&I. Responsible for assets of £5bn in Mayfair and Belgravia. Amelia's career to the passerby may seem straightforward in that she has been with the same employer for 13 years. However within that time she has taken responsibility for asset management, investment, development a...

In this episode I sit down with Matt Townend, Chief Operating Officer, EcoWorld London. Matt has led a career with some of the biggest names and largest developments in London under his belt including Berkeley, Riverlight and BPSDC, Battersea Power Station. He talks about what he has learnt from these experiences, how the Power Station re-wrote the manual for selling apartments globally and how he...

In this episode I sit down with Jan Trbizan, Design and Technical Director for the luxury development company Northacre. Jan is a Slovene architect who joined the London architectural scene in  2010  establishing himself at Squires before joining Northacre as a technical manager and being recognised as a rising talent and quickly promoted to lead the design department. Jan speaks very ca...

Caroline Harper is the Chief Planning Director for Be First, Barking and Dagenham’s urban regeneration company. Caroline tells a great story of life in academia, commercial planning consultancy, public sector myths and truths. But ultimately a great story of hard work, determination and an appetite to keep pushing herself into new territories and areas for growth.   Hosted on Acast. See acast...

Will began a career in politics before pivoting to real estate. He built a blistering 15 year career with Grosvenor in the UK and Paris ending his journey as the Executive Director for the London Portfolio with £5bn AUM. He chose to leave that behind to begin a role that needed to really benefit society and not simply to pay a shareholder a dividend. He found it when he agreed to become the CEO of...

In this episode Gary led me on a journey of his career, passions and motivations. We talked for nearly 3 hours and I'm only sorry we couldn't get more into this episode. He was a fascinating character who has never stopped asking why something is the way it is. He has, as an architect, questioned every aspect of a building and how its put together and at times gone well beyond what was expected of...

In this interview I sit down with James Pellatt, Director of Workplace and Innovation for Great Portland Estates. In the interview James and I discuss his career in developing several of London's best known office developments, his ambition in his earlier career to move closer to the ultimate decision makers and what had been occasionally construed as mischievous curiosity in his earlier career ch...