UK’s Co-Living Summit: Redefining The Future Of Shared Urban Living

Chris is the Investment Director for DTZ Investors UK Co-Living Fund (COLIV) which invests in large-scale co-living assets in Greater London. The Fund currently has over 800 co-living units across 3 assets, operated under DTZ Investors FOLK Co-Living brand. Chris has worked at DTZ Investors for 18 years and has undertaken a wide range of roles over this time. Having initially been appointed as the Head of Investment Strategy, Chris has gone on to manage both direct and indirect property portfolios for institutional clients across both traditional and alternative property sectors. Chris is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and previously worked as an investment strategist at LaSalle Investment Management.

Jill Ju is the CEO and Founder of True North Management, a purpose-led real estate investment and management company focused on transforming traditional living spaces to better meet the needs of today's urban dwellers. A passionate advocate for innovation in the living sector, Jill leverages her extensive experience and unique insight to create environments that promote both personal growth and a strong sense of community. Formerly Investment Director at Greystar and Chief Investment Officer at The Collective, she has an extensive track record in creating assets, brands and investment vehicles across PBSA, BTR and co-living sectors, and a passion for creating attainable, high-quality rental homes that enable mindful living. True North recently announced the opening of its debut co-living property, Holm Wimbledon Park, in Southfields, London, featuring 86 studios and communal spaces to encourage both focused work and social interaction. And a pipeline to deliver 1,500 units in London over the next 3 years.

Anil is Founder and CEO of Node, a global asset manager and operator of branded flexible living communities in creative capital cities around the world. Our mission is to create beautiful urban spaces with genuine community in a cost effective and convenient way. Node communities are currently located in key gateway cities throughout North America and Europe, including London, Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, New York and Los Angeles. Node partners with institutional investors to create and manage 100-1,000 bed flexible living, coliving and furnished apartment rental buildings. Approximately 3,000 beds are planned to be operational in 2024, with a pipeline to expand to over 8,000 beds. Anil is responsible for the overall management, investment activities and expansion of Node globally and is based in London. Anil has worked in real estate for over 20 years in the US and Europe, including 11 years at Blackstone, the world's largest private equity real estate firm. As a Managing Director at Blackstone in London, Anil was involved in over $30 billion of acquisitions, financings, and dispositions. Anil created Blackstone's European real estate capital markets group, was involved in creating its Indian real estate team and helped create and successfully sell Nido Student Living, a £415m, 2,500 bed, European student housing development and management platform. Prior to Blackstone, Anil worked in the acquisitions team of DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners / Credit Suisse First Boston in Los Angeles. Anil graduated with an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University and a BA from the University of Waterloo in Canada. He has been listed in Property Week's Hot 100 and Top 40 Under 40. Anil is the Chair of the GRI Global Co-Living Committee and is a member of ULI and the UKAA. Anil also serves as Chair of The Lighthouse, a project to develop a dynamic faith-based community centre in London, England.

Williams Johnson is the co-founder and Director of B-Hive Living – a multi award-winning residential coliving brand, developer and asset manager of shared-living properties. They take pride in delivering exceptional value to their investors and partners through their strong focus on wellness-driven design, tech-enabled operation and best-in-class community experience. The company has been recognised twice as having the best user and community experience in the UK and in the world. He is a former partner and Managing Director of the global research and management consulting firm - Great Place to Work Institute. In his career, he has held several senior management and governance positions in a number of international organisations including the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), which was a £170 million global initiative to tackle climate change. He holds several qualifications from world class universities schools including London Business Schools and the University of Cambridge. In his spare time, he is a self-diagnosed surfer and drummer junkie, and dedicated father.

Jermaine is a co-founder of the Re:shape Living Group, an alternative living sector developer and operator in the UK. Jermaine is responsible for Joint Ventures, planning and development activities, product design and execution, and ESG. Jermaine has worked in Real Estate for over 15 years and is recognised as one of the UK’s leading alternative living experts, having co-designed and secured planning permission for 10 co-living buildings, PBSA and hotels worth more than £800 million GDV across London and Dublin since 2018. Jermaine is also the founder and chair of the Second-Generation Shared Living Consortium (SGSLC), an industry body which exists to progress shared living policy across the UK.

Nick trained at the University of Nottingham where he graduated with a Bachelor, Diploma and Master of Architecture, his thesis gaining critical acclaim. He joined tp bennett in 2006 where he qualified as an architect. He then spent periods at John McAslan + Partners and Allies and Morrison, before re-joining the practice as a design director in 2018 and now leads the blended living studio. An accomplished designer and expert in design management, Nick leads his projects and teams by example, at all RIBA stages. He has delivered numerous masterplans and notable buildings in the UK and abroad – some earning RIBA award status – and has collaborated with the UK government on humanitarian initiatives including post-disaster housing. Over his career Nick has attained a series of professional qualifications, which underpin his experience and outreach at the practice. He is a certified RIBA Conservation Architect, holds a RIBA Certificate in Construction Project Management, is a member of the chartered Association for Project Management and a judge for the Architects Journal.

With eight years’ experience in the commercial furniture sector, Rosie brings a unique blend of expertise across residential and bespoke product design — with a focus on Living sector developments. As a Consultant Manager within the TFP Living division at The Furniture Practice, she leads the delivery of large-scale, sustainability-focused FF&E projects , taking a consultative and client-first approach. Rosie has a deep understanding of the diverse requirements across the Living sectors. She stays closely connected to emerging design trends shaped by innovation and sustainability, enabling her to develop tailored furniture solutions that meet the needs of forward-thinking developers across the UK.

Karl Tomusk is an Associate on the UK Living Research team at JLL with a decade of experience in real estate as a journalist and researcher. Joining JLL in 2023, Karl specialises in data-driven market analysis around investment, policy and sector trends across the breadth of UK Living. Prior to JLL, Karl was a real estate finance and data journalist writing for publications including Estates Gazette, Real Asset Insight, Insider and Wired.