Registration Questions

Call: 202-684-2034
Email: eventregistration@bisnow.com

Request Speaker Information

Speaker Topics

Tell us a Little More

Event Host

DSQ7, 7 Devonshire Square

DSQ7, 7 Devonshire Square

Building 7 has undergone redevelopment to deliver best-in-class office space with abundant terracing. Providing c. 95,000 sq ft of dynamic workspace, the building will have the utmost sustainability credentials, including NABERS 5 star and BREEAM Outstanding. The building sits at the heart of the DSQ campus, which is a highly-amenitized community offering bars, restaurants and hotel, situated 5 minutes’ walk from Liverpool St station.

Speakers and Panels

Investing In The Future: Opportunities In Retrofit

Assess Whether Your Portfolio Is Ready To Upgrade

Andy Booth

Andy Booth

Director

Nuveen

Ami Kotecha

Ami Kotecha

Co-founder and Head of Venture Investments

Amro Partners

Rob West

Rob West

Managing Partner

Clearbell

Jacob Loftus

Jacob Loftus

Founder & CEO

General Projects

Mark Swetman

Mark Swetman

CEO

LS Estates

Daryl Harris

Daryl Harris

Senior Vice President - Global Construction Practice

Lockton

Rebecca Davison
Moderator

Rebecca Davison

Partner

Howard Kennedy

Ami Kotecha

Co-founder and Head of Venture Investments

Amro Partners

Ami is a Co-Founder of Amro Real Estate Partners and is Managing Director of

AmroLiving, a London-focussed Build-to-Rent (BtR) platform.

Ami is passionate about delivering best-in-class user experiences for customers and

team members. As a proponent of the space-as-a-service / data-centric delivery

model, Ami combines her experience in residential development and operations with

her insights into technology solutions to deliver uniquely customer-focussed BtR

schemes. One of her key objectives is to oversee the delivery of schemes that curate

living environments that have a positive influence on the health and well-being of our

end-users.

Ami is an Economics graduate, with a BSc. degree from LSE and a post-graduate M.

Phil. degree from the University of Cambridge.

Rob West

Managing Partner

Clearbell

Rob has over 30 years’ experience in the real estate industry and is one of the co-founders of Clearbell Capital. As Managing Partner, he is responsible for developing new business and deal origination. Rob is a member of the Investment Committee and also chairs the ESG Committee. Rob previously founded Hawthorne West in 2006. He also worked as an investment broker at Nelson Bakewell Ltd (now Capita), as a founding partner of SG Commercial LLP and at niche London advisors Daniel Watney LLP. Outside of Clearbell, Rob serves on the Court of the Clothworkers’ Livery Company, with a focus on the Company’s London property portfolio.

Jacob Loftus

Founder & CEO

General Projects

Jacob founded General Projects in 2016, a real estate developer and operator that creates experiential, innovative and dynamic buildings, designed around the needs of the new economy. Over his career he has the led the acquisition and development of over £1.5bn of real estate spanning over 2 million sq ft of mixed-use projects, winning a number of notable industry awards in the process. With a passion for architecture and design, Jacob has overseen the reinvention of the iconic Grade II listed One Poultry, the award-winning development of Alphabeta, and the creation of Expressway, an SME workspace and industrial complex.

Mark Swetman

CEO

LS Estates

Mark Swetman is the Chief Executive Office at LS Estates, a developer focused on retrofit and sustainable redevelopment for offices and life sciences in Central London. Established in 2014, Mark saw an opportunity to establish a boutique central London operator to work with both local and international capital sources. He has over 25 years of direct real estate experience, the majority of which acting as a principal with significant new business and development roles at Hammerson plc and at Hines both in central London and in Paris. Mark has a degree in Real Estate from Oxford Brookes University and a Masters in Finance from City University and is a member of the RICS. Mark’s role is to lead the LS Group with a focus on strategy, new business and overall business execution.

Rebecca Davison

Moderator

Howard Kennedy

Rebecca Davison is a solicitor focussing on all aspects of non-contentious commercial property transactions.

Rebecca advises on acquisitions and disposals of freehold and leasehold properties, on the real estate aspects of portfolio management, insolvency and all other landlord and tenant matters.

She also acts for retail and corporate occupier clients on the acquisition, re-gearing and disposal of their occupational property interests.

Rebecca advises foreign investors in UK commercial real estate and with commercial occupiers on HQ relocation.

She is a member of the firm's Investment Funds and Real Estate sector groups.

She is a UK Board member and founding member of the US-led Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) network.

Energising Change: A Retrofit Revolution

Discover The Sustainability Benefits Of Upgrading Buildings

Emily Downey

Emily Downey

Development Director

Oxford Properties

John Davies

John Davies

Head of Sustainability

Derwent London plc

Ross Sayers

Ross Sayers

Head of Development Management

Landsec

Sophie Goddard

Sophie Goddard

Director of Sustainability

Canary Wharf Group

Daniel Hunt

Daniel Hunt

UK Country Head

Agilité

Andrew Davidson

Andrew Davidson

Partner

Studio PDP

Ben Redding
Moderator

Ben Redding

Senior Associate

Clifford Chance

John Davies

Head of Sustainability

Derwent London plc

John Davies is Head of Sustainability at Derwent London and sits on the Executive

Committee. He is responsible for leading the company wide sustainability and responsibility

agendas. John is a recognised sustainability expert in the commercial property sector and

has been instrumental in creating a number of industry leading sustainability programmes

and strategies. Prior to joining Derwent London John was Head of Sustainability at Davis

Langdon LLP where was responsible for developing and delivering its range of sustainability

services.

Ross Sayers

Head of Development Management

Landsec

Ross oversees Landsec’s commercial office development pipeline, concentrating primarily in central London, with schemes across Westminster, Southwark and the City. Landsec have 2 large retrofit projects currently on site, Timber Square in Southwark which includes the retention and extension of an old print works with additional floors using cross laminated timber and the full repositioning of Thirty High, a 30 storey office tower in Victoria.

Sophie Goddard

Director of Sustainability

Canary Wharf Group

Sophie joined Canary Wharf Group as Director,

Sustainability in December 2021 with responsibility to

develop the strategy and champion the transition for the

group.

Sophie has previously led sustainability across the UK

for the regional and specialist businesses within Balfour

Beatty, the UK’s largest contractor. Sophie has also

spent time in the retail industry where she led

programmes to deliver sustainable outcomes in the Far

East. With experience in a variety of roles and sectors,

Sophie firmly believes that the private sector has a key

role to play in responding to the climate crisis.

Daniel Hunt

UK Country Head

Agilité

In his role as country head for commercial interiors specialist, Agilité’s UK division, Daniel Hunt maintains complete oversight of UK operations and project deliveries, as well as translating the key principles of Agilité’s B Corp accreditation into strategic implementation.

Daniel boasts over 23 years of industry experience across the retail, leisure, commercial fit-out, public and residential sectors, and has a proven track record of achieving successful project outcomes for high street and blue-chip clients.

Having joined Agilité in 2023, Daniel has already worked on UK projects for the likes of The Social Hub, Alo Yoga and Costco Wholesale. Involved in the delivery of leading fit out projects, Daniel observes the changing trends and thinking in the industry first-hand, while his background in cost and project management sees him working closely with clients in a trusted advisory role.

Andrew Davidson

Partner

Studio PDP

Andrew is an architect and partner at Studio PDP. His design flair and sound project management skills have contributed to the success of a wide variety of high quality retrofit and new build projects, many are on complex sites. He is passionate about finding ways to sustainably re-purpose and re-use our existing building stock, particularly those which are listed or have heritage value. Currently leading the transformation of the former House of Fraser store on Oxford Street into a mixed-use workplace, Andrew is also responsible for the restoration of the Grade I listed Cambridge House on Piccadilly. Surrounding it are a range of listed and new buildings which will together form a new luxury hotel.

Ben Redding

Moderator

Clifford Chance

Ben Redding is a Senior Associate in the London Real Estate team at Clifford Chance. Ben specialises in advising developers, investors, landlords, occupiers and funders on complex development projects, acquisitions, disposals, pre-lettings and forward fundings. Ben also has extensive experience acting for corporate occupiers on global headquarters relocations. Ben is currently advising a variety of developers on ambitious, best-in-class, brown-to-green redevelopments and is acutely aware of the challenges developers face when retrofitting their buildings.

Presentations Across The Day

Vijay Sodiwala

Vijay Sodiwala

Commercial Director

Wireless Infrastructure Group (WIG)

John Bushell

John Bushell

Principal

KPF

Vijay Sodiwala

Commercial Director

Wireless Infrastructure Group (WIG)

Vijay is responsible for executing the sales and business development activities for WIG’s

Indoor Networks business working in partnership with the UK’s leading real estate owners, developers and operators.

WIG is an independent wireless infrastructure operator that has pioneered the neutral host model in the UK. The company builds and operates communication towers (masts) in rural and suburban areas together with 5G capable small cells, and indoor networks to improve mobile coverage inside office buildings, hotels, shopping centres, stadiums and on city streets. WIG’s neutral host networks already provide coverage in venues with over 1.6bn of annual footfall and is backed by Brookfield Infrastructure a leading global infrastructure investment fund.

Vijay has spent over 25 years in the technology, media and telecoms industries having held senior executive roles with leading organisations such as News Corporation, Sky and Video Networks. Vijay holds an Engineering honours degree from University of London and an MBA from London Business School.

John Bushell

Principal

KPF

John has led the design of some of KPF’s most notable and innovative projects. John’s

approach is rooted in detailed analysis of the context, on each project he builds consensus

across diverse expert teams and seeks to promote design that is authentically sustainable

and inclusive. His unique design solutions include Chapter London Bridge, a landmark

student housing development and The Bermondsey Project, where he led the detailed

masterplan for a major regeneration project featuring more than 1,500 BTR homes. An

authority on a range of architectural subjects, John is part of New London Architecture’s

Sounding Board and has represented KPF at lectures and conferences around the world.

His work has been recognised by multiple awards.

Why This Matters

What You'll Learn:

  • Which sites are in the highest demand for retrofit and the key considerations around site selection

  • The future pipeline of retro-fitted schemes in the UK and where the opportunities lie

  • What the sustainability benefits are of retrofitting and upgrading buildings

  • How to navigate politics and planning when dealing with a retrofit 

  • Investigate the opportunities and challenges when investing in a building with the sole aim of retrofitting and making a profit, or retrofitting your existing portfolio

How You'll Do More Business: With ambitious net zero targets looming, the urgency to decarbonise real estate is apparent. An estimated 80% of the building stock that will be here in 2050 already exists, calling for governments and real estate players to significantly step up retrofitting efforts. However, real estate companies face a lack of established best practices and complicated still regulations.  Hear from our expert speakers on the opportunities and challenges of investing and constructing retrofitted schemes, discover the unique benefits of doing so and learn the best practices to be able to deliver in this ever-evolving market. 

Questions about your ticket or booking? Reach out to customerservice@bisnow.com. For other questions, comments or press enquiries, email our UK Events Manager, Louis, at louis.chandor@bisnow.com.


To request disability-related accommodations, please contact lucrezia.manzo@bisnow.com no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Share your comments, post your photos and ask questions using #BisnowEurope on Twitter and Instagram, and follow us at @BisnowEurope on Twitter for more local news.

2023 UK RETROFITT ARTICLES TO READ

Agenda

Time Activity
7:00 AM
7:40 AM
Breakfast And Networking
7:40 AM
7:45 AM
Welcome From Bisnow
7:45 AM
7:50 AM
Welcome From Nuveen
7:50 AM
8:00 AM
Presentation By Wireless Infrastructure Group
8:00 AM
8:45 AM
Investing In The Future: Opportunities In Retrofit

1. How do you get started with assessing buildings for retrofit? What due diligence is required?
2. Should asset owners look inwardly at their portfolios for retrofitting assets, or look outward to explore acquisition opportunities with retrofitting in mind? What are the differences in challenges and opportunities in doing so?
3. How do you go about navigating making retrofit financially viable for all parties concerned? How are you funding the retrofit after buying the building?

8:45 AM
8:55 AM
Presentation Case Study by KPF
8:55 AM
9:15 AM
Networking And Stretch Break
9:15 AM
10:00 AM
Energising Change: A Retrofit Revolution

1. What are the sustainability benefits of retrofitting and upgrading buildings?
2. What materials are the best to use when embarking upon retrofitting a building to keep costs down?
3. What obstacles arise in upgrading and repurposing, and how are these navigated?

10:00 AM
10:45 AM
Networking and Building Tours!