Market Outlook & New Opportunities

• 

  Joe Persechino

  Joe is the global Sector Specialist for Residential and Student Accommodation for the Real Assets platform at AXA IM Alts. He is responsible for the sector strategy, assisting with deal origination, advising on investments, working with the in-country AXA IM teams globally on existing portfolio performance, sharing best practice, introducing sector innovation and leveraging his professional network. Joe joined the business in 2018. Prior to this, he held senior roles at Global Student Accommodation, (the largest global investor, developer and operator of student accommodation and serviced apartments). From 2011-2014, Joe was with the Unite Group plc, the leading manager and developer of student accommodation in the UK with over 50,000 beds in its portfolio at the time. Joe has worked in Australia and France and has over 10 years of experience in residential real estate. Joe holds a Bachelor’s Degree in European Business Studies from the University of West London.

  AXA IM Alts

  Global Head of Residential & Student Accommodation

  Joe Persechino

  Global Head of Residential & Student Accommodation

  AXA IM Alts

• 

  Mike Hill

  Mike has 18 years of Real Estate experience covering the UK and Europe, with the last 12 years focused on Investment. He joined DWS in 2017 and since then has been leading investment into the BTR sector, in both the UK and Ireland. In the past 4 years he has overseen the investment of over €2.5BN, the majority of which was targeting Residential and Student Housing. Prior to DWS, Mike was an Investment Director at PATRIZIA and previously held positions at Macquarie Bank and BNP Paribas Real Estate. He is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

  DWS

  Director – Head of Real Estate Transactions for UK&I

  Mike Hill

  Director – Head of Real Estate Transactions for UK&I

  DWS

• 

  John Carter

  John is Commercial Director for the Commercial Real Estate team at Aldermore. He is responsible for developing new propositions and enhancing the customer journey to meet growing demand. John has 30 years’ experience in the industry having previously worked in a number of national roles at Bank of Scotland, CYBG and NAB.

  Aldermore

  Commercial Director

  John Carter

  Commercial Director

  Aldermore

• 

  Trevor Youens

  A known and popular figure in the property industry and the property technology sector, Trevor has extensive experience earned during his time in senior roles at several pioneering software firms. Today, he leads MRI’s UK residential operations and is instrumental in the development, positioning and implementation of the company’s solutions for the, Build-to-Rent, Private Rented Sector, sales and lettings and other residential requirements. Trevor is also a respected voice in the wider proptech space – and with his remit as Managing Director he is a central figure in shaping MRI’s innovative approach to providing open and connected platforms.

  MRI-Software

  UK Residential Director

  Trevor Youens

  UK Residential Director

  MRI-Software

• 

  Chris Morris

  Chris has extensive experience working within the private and public sectors, including the development of residential-led mixed use schemes, build to rent schemes and town/city centre regeneration projects. He has a particular focus on build to rent projects acting on multiple schemes across the UK, helping clients to structure and plan their projects and transactions, understand and manage risk and protect their interests. Chris co-leads the Gowling WLG build to rent sector team, which is heavily involved in this growing sector, working with clients on developing their rental product and acting as an extension of their teams. He draws on his legal experience acting regularly for parties on both sides of the negotiating fence to make him perfectly placed to quickly focus on what will be most important to his clients and pragmatically to deliver the right end results.

  Gowling WLG

  Legal Director

  Moderator

  Chris Morris

  Legal Director

  Gowling WLG

Spotlight Session: Investment Trends In BTR

• 

  Alex Greaves

  Alex heads the residential capability at M&G Real estate. He has built the team from inception in 2013, and to date has invested circa £950m across 3,750 Private Rented Sector and Build-to-Rent units in the UK. Prior to joining M&G REal Estate, he spent seven years at Grainger with responsibility for the Schroders ResPut fund and the Grainger Geninvest JV with Genesis housing. He also set up Grainger’s Ramp platform and managed its partnership with Lloyds Banking Group for distressed borrowers. Alex is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), of the Investment Property Forum (IPF) and the deputy chair of British Property Federation Residential Committee.

  M&G Real Estate

  Head of UK and Euro Living

  Alex Greaves

  Head of UK and Euro Living

  M&G Real Estate

• 

  Alex Aitchison

  Alex is responsible for leading and delivering the development and investment strategy for Lincoln Property Company (LPC) in the UK. With a broad depth of experience in property portfolio management across different sectors for both private and publicly listed companies, Alex leads UK activities to expand the business throughout the region. In the UK, LPC is best known for involvement as an owner, developer and operator of www.StationHill.co.uk, a 2.5m sqft / £850m GDV development adjacent to Reading CrossRail/MainLine Station, setting a new bench mark in best in class placemaking, successfully seeding the platform in which to successfully expand the UK business. Lincoln Property Company (LPC) is one of the largest and most diversified real estate companies in the United States and Europe, and one of the only real estate companies to rank concurrently in the Top 10 lists of Management/Ownership of Office, Industrial and Multi-Family (BTR). Originally entering Europe in 1989 and subsequently partnering exclusively with AIG in 1997, LPC provided the entrepreneurial, development and operational expertise responsible for building a dominant platform resulting in delivering over 27 million square feet across 50 projects in 9 major European markets. LPC re-launched its European operations in 2016. Alex is a Chartered Surveyor by background and held previous Board/Director positions with McLaren Property, Boultbee Brooks and Kier Property.

  Lincoln Property Company UK

  Director of Development

  Alex Aitchison

  Director of Development

  Lincoln Property Company UK

• 

  Owain Thomas

  Owain spearheads and drives the planning and execution of the asset-level business plans across Cortland’s portfolio in Europe. He draws upon his nearly 20 years of experience in delivering real estate business plans to evaluate potential future investments in Europe and lead the origination strategy towards continued Cortland’s growth in this market.

  Cortland

  Senior Director - Development (Europe)

  Owain Thomas

  Senior Director - Development (Europe)

  Cortland

• 

  Katherine Rose

  Katherine is the Managing Director of VervLife; a specialist consultancy, operations and creative partner for the BTR and rented homes sector engaged on multi-family, single-family and co-living communities. Working within BTR since its genesis in the UK, Katherine is an operational expert and has a keen focus on what shifting resident behaviours and lifestyles mean for the product being brought to market, how technology can be harnessed to drive operational effectiveness and the role of intelligent asset design in enhancing investor returns. VervLife is BCorp Pending and is committed to lead standards of social value, resident wellness and planetary awareness in the rented residential sector.

  VervLife

  Managing Director

  Moderator

  Katherine Rose

  Managing Director

  VervLife

The Gravitational Pull Of Investment In BTR

• Presentation

  Iain Murray

  Senior Director, BTR Consultancy (Europe)

  Cortland Consult

The Art Of Transformation: Effective Repurposing To Meet New Demands

Presented by CallisonRTKL

• 

  Allan Lockhart

  Allan Lockhart is CEO at NewRiver, a listed REIT specialising in convenience and community focused retail and leisure assets throughout the UK. The NewRiver portfolio is focused on the growing and sustainable sub-sectors of the UK retail market including grocery, convenience stores, value clothing, health & beauty and discounters that provide important everyday household goods and services to communities across the UK. Allan has over 30 years of retail property experience, beginning his career at Strutt & Parker in 1988, then as Retail Director at Halladale plc from 2002 before co-founding NewRiver in 2009. Allan chairs the British Property Federation’s Retail Board. NewRiver is a Premium Listed REIT on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the symbol NRR. www.nrr.co.uk

  NewRiver

  CEO

  Allan Lockhart

  CEO

  NewRiver

• 

  Lesley Roberts

  Lesley plays a pivotal role in developing and delivering Godwin’s plans to build a £1 billion national BTR portfolio. Her main remit is the creation of the BTR operational strategy across both the single and multifamily developments for the business. Working in close collaboration with internal teams and external providers, she is responsible for the operational performance and profitability of our single and multifamily assets while also delivering a leading customer experience across the entire proposition. With a career spanning over 20 years, Lesley has extensive high-level experience with both the BTR and PRS sectors, and has for some time been at the heart of shaping the UK’s Build to Rent offer as President of The UK Apartment Association (UKAA). Prior to joining Godwin, she served as a Partner at Allsop LLP and CEO of Allsop Letting and Management, where she advised developers and institutional investors on the acquisition, design, build and operation of large-scale BTR portfolios. A member of the British Property Federation’s (BPF) residential board, Lesley also toured the US studying the multifamily model there and was instrumental in the concept and development of the UKAA’s BTR Best Practice Guide launched in 2022. She was previously Chair of Soho Housing Association and held roles at Pinnacle Places, Young Group, and City Living London.

  Godwin Developments

  Director of BTR Operations

  Lesley Roberts

  Director of BTR Operations

  Godwin Developments

• 

  Mark Phillipson

  Mark is a chartered surveyor who has specialised in the retail property sector for over 30 years. In January 2020 Mark founded investment and asset management vehicle Eccleston Capital and co- founded Quadrant Repurpose, a joint venture that aims to breath new life into struggling department stores. It is the first specialist venture solely aimed at repurposing redundant department stores and other large units across the UK. In September 2020 Mark launched Total Turnover Solutions (TTS), a 50:50 JV with Realm, that focuses on the future asset management of shopping centres using revenue orientated leases. Also a Consultant to the Retail Group at Colliers International, Mark was formerly Head of Retail at Colliers International and previously Managing Partner of Briant Champion Long, which he joined in 1990 to create its Retail Agency and Investment divisions. In addition to leading the 70 strong UK Retail Group, Mark specialised in the investment sector having advised on more than £700m of retail acquisitions, disposals and development forward fundings for a wide range of private, public and institutional investors. His clients included Aviva Investors, Church Commissioners, DTZ IM, DixonsCarphone, Jigsaw, iSmash, Palmer Capital, SKY, TalkTalk, together with a number of ultra-high net-worth individuals. Mark is a member of the RICS, former Chairman of the Shop Agent’s Society, and a member of Accessible Retail.

  Quadrant Repurpose

  Co-founder

  Mark Phillipson

  Co-founder

  Quadrant Repurpose

• 

  John Badman

  As a Principal of CallisonRTKL (CRTKL/Arcadis), John leads the global architecture and design firm’s residential team across the United Kingdom, Europe and Middle East. Having shaped over 10,000+ BTR units across the UK, his commercial acumen and human centric design approach continues to shape the future of the sector. The strength of John and his team lies in the culmination of their specialist cross-sector expertise, which comes together to offer something more than just a building and instead sees them create places, brands, experiences and lifestyle choices. John is also one of CRTKL’s collective of specialist architects who are driving new opportunities for mixed-use, blended and repurposed commercial assets. The group advises clients on the diversification of their portfolios and the repositioning of their assets into the lifestyle-led residential market.

  Arcadis

  Principal

  John Badman

  Principal

  Arcadis

• 

  Tim Stephen

  Tim is a Director of Community Utilities, a extension of the amber energy® enterprise business. Tim’s background prior to joining Community has been in the student housing sector where he managed over 8,000 beds across the UK. Tim is a chartered surveyor (MRICS) and has 20 years of both client side and consultancy asset management experience under his belt in a wide range of sectors. As a self-confessed customer service geek, Tim spends his time working out what customers want and making it happen! Tim likes to challenge the norm and push the boundaries of conventional thinking (which is a challenge in both the property and utilities industries) with a value of being an “Evolution Addict” Tim is based in London and is looking to grow the Community Utilities business by increasing client investment profitability, reducing development costs and providing exceptional levels of customer experience.

  Community Utilities

  Director

  Moderator

  Tim Stephen

  Director

  Community Utilities

Community Engagement & Mental Well Being: Understanding & Supporting Your Resident

• 

  Steven Osei

  Head of Brand Experience and Partnerships

  Get Living

• 

  Sowgol Zarinchang

  Sowgol is the Managing Director of Way of Life, a top 3 National Built-to-Rent (BTR) platform providing bespoke residential lettings and management to a portfolio of over 1,200 homes across the UK. Way of Life also offers third-party management to investors and developers who are looking for a hospitality-led management firm with marketing and lettings capability, plus the digital infrastructure to create best-in-class resident experiences. Sowgol ensures that Way of Life provides efficient building management and professional customer services through a multi-skilled team of people. Before joining Way of Life, Sowgol was the Director of Serviced Apartments at JLL where she oversaw operational activities and advised both residential and serviced apartment operators. She was previously the Director of Private Rent (Folio London) and Student Lets at the Notting Hill Housing Trust where she was leading three multi-disciplinary teams with over 2,000 properties and an operational budget of £25 million. Sowgol is also a member of UKAA, IRPM, CREW UK Mentorship, Way of Life’s ESG Committee and Chairman of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee for the group.

  Way of Life

  Managing Director

  Sowgol Zarinchang

  Managing Director

  Way of Life

• 

  Georgie Drewery

  During her time with Yardi, Georgie has become fully immersed in all things build-to-rent and student accommodation. Georgie’s passion lies in being an advocate for technology in the residential space and how innovation can add value to not only the entire journey from prospect to resident, but how software and mobile applications enhance the resident experience throughout their entire tenancy. Georgie’s experience and focus spans across all residential asset classes including build to rent, student accommodation, co-living and includes a vast knowledge on the social housing market.

  Yardi

  Senior Account Executive

  Georgie Drewery

  Senior Account Executive

  Yardi

• 

  Charlotte Robertson

  Charlotte Robertson Associate and BTR leader at AGC. Charlotte is heading up AGC's BTR sector, AGC have worked with industry-leading operators, including Granger PLC at Dominion, and more recently, Canary Wharf Group, Vertus brand. Previous to this, Charlotte work on enhancing customer environments at Pret a Manger and Marks & Spencer and played a fundamental role in the award-winning office project for Pret.

  AGC

  Associate and BTR leader

  Charlotte Robertson

  Associate and BTR leader

  AGC

• 

  Chotip Arora

  London based creative interior design studio with projects ranging from high volume top end residential to boutique nurseries. For the past 8.5 years, Fossey Arora has been responsible for delivering one of the most innovative interior and landscape design projects with Quintain at the UK’s largest Build to Rent development site. The Fossey Arora design ethos is simple; fluid concepts, client focused and above all, translating the vision into reality. Every project is special - a unique reflection of the client's vision, delivered with Fossey Arora's unique creativity, energy and enthusiasm. This diversity is showcased in two very different projects - The Robinson and Canada Gardens in Wembley Park

  Fossey Arora

  Director

  Moderator

  Chotip Arora

  Director

  Fossey Arora

BTR As A Catalyst For Placemaking

• 

  Jon Di-Stefano

  Jon Di-Stefano is the Chief Executive Officer of Telford Homes, a Trammell Crow Company developer. He is responsible for group strategy, day-to-day operational performance, risk management, stakeholder relationships and all other long-term business planning. He chairs the Telford Homes Executive Committee and sits on the Board of Directors. Jon joined Telford Homes in 2002 and was appointed as CEO in 2011. During this time he has overseen a prolonged period of business growth and, since 2015, led the group’s strategic move towards the delivery of build to rent homes. More recently, Jon played a significant role in the group’s acquisition by Trammell Crow Company, a subsidiary of CBRE, and the successful integration of those businesses.

  Telford Homes

  CEO

  Fireside Chat

  Jon Di-Stefano

  CEO

  Telford Homes

• 

  Graham Hickson-Smith

  Graham is a Board Director at RIBA award winning architectural practice 3DReid and oversees a number of Build to Rent driven mixed-use and urban renewal projects across the UK, working for a number of the largest names in the sector.

  3DReid

  Director

  Moderator

  Graham Hickson-Smith

  Director

  3DReid

The Smart BTR Home Of The Future

Presented By Samsung

• 

  Alastair Mullens

  Alastair joined CWG in 2018, to establish the group’s Build-to-Rent platform, Vertus. He currently oversees Vertus’s day-to day activities, the groups residential leasehold management arm, Canary Wharf Residential Management Limited, and the groups Technology & Transformation function. Prior to this he spent nine years with Hamptons International & Countrywide Group based in London and Hong Kong. In his final role at Countrywide as National Director of Corporate PRS & BTR, he oversaw the successful delivery of the group’s operational management platform which included the delivery of The Cargo Building, Liverpool and Pomona Wharf, Manchester.

  Canary Wharf Group

  Managing Director - Residential

  Alastair Mullens

  Managing Director - Residential

  Canary Wharf Group

• 

  Andrew Southern

  Andrew Southern, the Chairman of Southern Grove, has previously held executive positions at Hadley Property Group, Hadley Mace, Catesby Property Group, Countryside Properties and Mace Group. He has been in the sector for over 19 years. Southern Grove is a specialist mixed-use developer focussing on student accommodation and lifestyle hospitality concepts. Alongside a pipeline of 10,000 beds for its Future Generation student accommodation platform, Southern Grove plans to deliver 1,000 hotel rooms across London over the next five years.

  Southern Grove

  Chairman

  Andrew Southern

  Chairman

  Southern Grove

• 

  Russell Markou

  Head of Operations

  Quintain Living

• 

  Murtaza Bukhari

  Taz Bukhari has been with Samsung since 2012 and manages the engagement for Samsung within the construction and hotel sector as B2B relationship lead. His remit covers all Samsung B2B products including Air Con, Networks, Wi-Fi, TV, Display Solutions and Mobile. Samsung have a unique offering for the PRS market, providing a connected living experience using our IoT SMART products. Samsung are the world’s 6th largest brand with 308,000 employees and 79 offices globally.

  Samsung

  GM - Strategic Partnerships Europe

  Murtaza Bukhari

  GM - Strategic Partnerships Europe

  Samsung

• 

  Natalie Harris

  Natalie is a Partner with a broad range of commercial property experience, specialising in development and property investment transactions for both the public and private sector. Natalie has particular expertise in relation to residential, PRS and student developments. Recent experience includes advising Grainger on a number of projects including the Yorkshire Post site in Leeds and their flagship scheme at Clippers Quay, acting for a developer on the acquisition and development of a 364 room student scheme in Swansea and the sale of 5 residential plots in Putney.

  Pinsent Masons

  Partner

  Moderator

  Natalie Harris

  Partner

  Pinsent Masons

Expansion In The 'Burbs: The Long-Term Benefits of Suburban BTR

• 

  David Reid

  Managing Director, Suburban BTR

  Legal & General

• 

  Timothy Bannister

  Tim is the Director of Property Science Innovation at Rightmove combining data, technology and analytics to develop unique insight and drive property decision making. Prior to this, Tim ran Rightmove’s Lettings and Overseas businesses. Before joining Rightmove in 2010, Tim worked in investment banking and strategy consulting, advising on business, investment and financing strategies. Tim holds an MBA from the Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania, USA.

  Rightmove

  Director of Property Science Innovation

  Presentation

  Timothy Bannister

  Director of Property Science Innovation

  Rightmove

• 

  Samantha Kempe

  Samantha Kempe is co-founder and CIO at IMMO Capital. Founded in 2017, IMMO Capital is a tech-enabled end-to-end platform for residential investment management. Having previously worked at PwC, Cushman & Wakefield and Blackstone, Samantha co-founded IMMO Capital with the intention of unlocking the Single Family Residential (SFR) market for institutional investors – the company was recently cited by Goldman Sachs and Fintech Collective as the ‘real estate asset manager of the future’. In her spare time (pre-lockdown!) she loves skiing, surfing and discovering new cultures / countries with her young family, as well as passionately championing female leadership and entrepreneurship.

  IMMO Capital

  Chief Investment Officer

  Samantha Kempe

  Chief Investment Officer

  IMMO Capital

• 

  Caroline Foster

  Caroline Foster has successfully championed a diverse range of schemes, the most recent being the new strategic settlement of 6,500 homes at Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire, the largest consent to be granted in England in 2019. Foster led the project for Urban&Civic and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, working with a diverse range of consultants and stakeholders to synthesise and address a series of complex issues throughout the engagement, decision-making and documentation stages of the project. Foster has built strong and lasting relationships within Cambridgeshire at all levels and is known for delivering on promises made. Following resolution to grant and completion of the section 106 agreement, she has maintained the team’s pace and focus on delivery throughout lockdown, balancing the demands of home schooling for two young children with a detailed planning and infrastructure delivery programme. That programme will deploy about £60M of Homes England infrastructure acceleration funding by 2023, allowing first residents to be living on-site by autumn 2022. Foster is passionate about delivering highly sustainable places and took the decision to ensure the first school at Waterbeach would be car-free, accessed by a network of footpaths and cycleways to promote healthy lifestyles from the outset. Her role leading the delivery of significant projects in Cambridgeshire is set to expand further. Following the acquisition of Urban&Civic by the Wellcome Trust, Foster will assume the role of development manager for the growth of the Wellcome Genome Campus at Hinxton. Plans for the Genome Campus present an opportunity to develop a 21st-century community of academics, scientists, entrepreneurs and innovative companies collaborating on research to deliver positive human impact. Outside of work Foster loves spending time with her kids and husband, enjoying dinner with friends and travelling back home to family in Ireland as often as she can.

  Urban&Civic

  Senior Development Manager

  Caroline Foster

  Senior Development Manager

  Urban&Civic

• 

  Michael Swiszczowski

  Michael joined Chapman Taylor in 2016 to strengthen the practice’s residential expertise. He joined the UK Board in 2022 and continues to take an active in role in developing the practice’s residential and hospitality sectors across the UK business. He has experience working on award-winning residential projects, with a particular focus on Build-to-Rent, student accommodation, hotels, serviced apartments and modular construction. Michael is a regular speaker at residential and property conferences where he articulates Chapman Taylor’s design approach and skill-sets. He is also an RIBA-elected member of the Regional Council for RIBA North West. Areas of expertise: Residential / Build-to-Rent / Student Accommodation / Hotels

  Chapman Taylor

  UK Board Director

  Michael Swiszczowski

  UK Board Director

  Chapman Taylor

• 

  Keith Davies

  Keith is the Residential Sector lead for Buro Four and has extensive experience working with tenants and investors to deliver great places to live. He is passionate about working collaboratively with clients and teams to implement solutions that truly improve projects and communities and thrives on the complexity involved. Over the years Keith has worked alongside a number of notable clients within this sector including, The Crown Estate, Avanton and English Cities Fund. As independent Project Managers since 1985, Buro Four have significant experience within the residential sector and have developed their expertise to adapt to the changing ways in which people choose to live and work, including urban and suburban Built to Rent for clients including Legal & General and Grainger

  Buro Four

  Residential Director

  Moderator

  Keith Davies

  Residential Director

  Buro Four

The Evolution Of Value-Add For BTR: New Trends To Attract & Retain Residents

Presented by Schneider Electric

• 

  Grace Oyebunmi Oyesoro

  Grace has 10 years of experience within the real estate industry. Within her role of Operations Manager at Quintain Living, Grace is responsible for the operation of over 2,000 units across 7 developments and oversees the team responsible for customer service, retention and financial performance. Grace is especially passionate about improving ethnic diversity within the real estate industry and currently serves as the Chair of Quintain's Ethnicity and Race network, as well as being an active member of Quintain's EDI steering group.

  Quintain Living

  Operations Manager

  Grace Oyebunmi Oyesoro

  Operations Manager

  Quintain Living

• 

  Harry Downes

  HD is Managing Director of Fizzy Living. His career started in the Army, where he spent 6 years serving in Germany, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Norway and Canada leaving with the rank of Captain. On returning to the UK HD worked in residential agency before joining the newly formed Manhattan Loft Corporation as Sales & Marketing Director, a role he delivered for 13 years. MLC created ground breaking residential developments across London, and set new standards for delivery of creative space in the built environment. Highlights were bankside Lofts, West India Quay and St Pancras Chambers. From 20017-2011 HD was a Senior Director at CBRE, working in the Residential Development Consultancy Team. It was in this role, in the immediate aftermath of Lehmans and the banking crisis, that HD formulated the idea which became Fizzy Living. In late 2011 HD joined up with Thames Valley Housing Association to create a private rental platform which would be capable of attracting long term investment from institutional investors. Fizzy Living was created and branded, and the first two buildings were purchased off plan during 2012. Fizzy now has over 320 apartments under management, a further 275 under construction for delivery over the next 12 months, and approximately 375 in the planning process. Fizzy’s exclusive funding partner is the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

  Fizzy Living

  Managing Director

  Harry Downes

  Managing Director

  Fizzy Living

• 

  Giles Beswick

  Director

  Select Property Group

• 

  Nico van der Merwe

  Nico has worked at Schneider Electric for over 12 years, taking up the role of Vice President of Home & Distribution in 2019. Throughout the years, Nico has been in charge of Schneider Electric’s Channel Development for Europe, playing a vital role in formulating and leading strategic transformational projects. Nico is currently responsible for ensuring that Schneider Electric’s portfolio of smart devices, sensors and energy management solutions are front of mind with electricians, home builders and contractors. Nico brings his ability to create high performing teams, enable business transformation and encourage entrepreneurial thinking to his role. With homes becoming increasingly connected and the spotlight on the inefficiencies of UK housing stock becoming a great focus in the battle to halt climate change, Nico believes that smart technologies such as Wiser will have a large role to play in creating truly connected and efficient homes. The electrical demand in the residential is the fastest growing segment in years to come and Nico believes that Schneider Electric already have the technologies and relevant channels to bring forth these solutions from the Grid to the Plug.

  Schneider Electric

  Vice President Home & Distribution, UK & Ireland

  Nico van der Merwe

  Vice President Home & Distribution, UK & Ireland

  Schneider Electric

• 

  Bren Standell

  Bren Standell is the Commercial Director of the UK & Ireland Intelligent Parcel Locker business for Quadient Ltd. Quadient are a global leader in parcel management solutions, such as Intelligent Parcel Lockers and have to date placed more than 13,000 parcel locker systems globally. Bren has been dedicated to Sales and Marketing for more than twenty years, starting out as a sales executive and quickly progressing through to management roles in sectors such as insurance and technology. As someone with an entrepreneurial spirit, Bren finds the challenge of business start up’s really engages him as a professional business leader. In his time, he has started three Companies of his own and successfully grown them, whilst also being involved in the creation of several successful start up’s within larger Corporates. As part of a commitment to ensuring he offers his best self to businesses and Customers he has served, he has passed through many Sales, Marketing and Strategic training courses, as well as gaining a Masters in Business and Administration in 2008. During Bren’s Career, he has held multiple senior positions such as Sales and Marketing Director, Programme Director, Business Development Director and now helping support the UK & Ireland growth of the Quadient Intelligent Parcel Locker organisation as the Commercial Director.

  Quadient Ltd.

  Commercial Director

  Bren Standell

  Commercial Director

  Quadient Ltd.

• 

  Liam Graham

  Liam is a real estate focused technologist who’s career spans 10 years in ICT, telephony and managed services. After 4 years working for O2’s largest business partner ‘Aerial Business Communications’ as a Technical Executive, Liam was solicited to the role of Director at Spectrum Infrastructure and led its sales operations of Small Cell and DAS solutions to real estate owners and occupiers in the UK, servicing the growing demand for legal indoor mobile coverage. Liam now joins the senior management team at Vilicom, a 20 year established in-building cellular engineering organisation to lead the UK development of their ground breaking Open RAN Small Cell platform, the first of it’s kind to be approved by mobile network operators to enable low cost, low power and space efficient in-building 4G and 5G.

  Vilicom

  Senior Manager

  Liam Graham

  Senior Manager

  Vilicom

• 

  Tom Grey

  Tom Grey is BTR Director for David Phillips, the UK’s leading provider of furniture and interior design for landlords and operational residential real estate. David Phillips furnish approximately 10,000 units a year and work with many of the largest operators in the BTR sector. Tom is in charge of leading David Phillip’s growth within the BTR sector and overseeing the service and offering to BTR clients. Tom has worked in residential real estate for 20 years, in fund and asset management, consultancy and agency.

  David Phillips

  Build-to-Rent Director

  Moderator

  Tom Grey

  Build-to-Rent Director

  David Phillips

Finding The Right BTR Partner — Presented By Quintain

• 

  Neil Burton

  Managing Director

  Round Hill Capital

• 

  Rebecca Taylor

  Rebecca is the Managing Director of Long Harbour's build to rent/multifamily business. Since joining Long Harbour in 2015, Rebecca has deployed over £300m of equity and is responsible for all assets from strategy and deal origination, design, development, delivery and operations. Rebecca has over 15 years of experience in development and investment having worked on projects in Australia, UK and UAE. Prior to joining Long Harbour, Rebecca spent eight years at Laing O’Rourke working in their property and investment team. Here she worked on their offsite delivery solution, a number of PFI schemes and their residential and mixed use property portfolio.

  Long Harbour

  Managing Director, BTR

  Rebecca Taylor

  Managing Director, BTR

  Long Harbour

• 

  Rajesh Shah

  Rajesh is Quintain's Executive Commercial Director, working in our Build to Rent (BtR) business, Quintain Living, having set it up in 2015. Rajesh is responsible for all commercial and financial aspects of the Quintain Living business to position it to become the UK’s largest BtR platform. He works closely with the wider Quintain team on the design and pricing for future plots at Wembley Park and new business. Rajesh joined Quintain in 2008 as the Transactions Director responsible for refinancings, acquisitions, disposals and joint ventures. Rajesh has worked in real estate for over 20 years across a range of sectors including commercial, residential and retail. He has led transactions ranging from raising capital for new funds through to acquisitions and disposals of property portfolios and businesses. Prior to Quintain, Rajesh spent 10 years at Land Securities, where he was Investment Strategy Director at its Trillium subsidiary. He led the pricing of Trillium’s new business transactions as well as portfolio management of existing assets. Prior to this he worked at PwC as a management consultant in sectors including real estate, retail and media.

  Quintain

  Executive Commercial Director

  Rajesh Shah

  Executive Commercial Director

  Quintain

• 

  Hugo Black

  Hugo Black is a Partner at Europa Capital and has 15 years of experience in real estate. Since 2012, Hugo has invested circa €1.2 billion into the living sector totalling more than 10,000 beds. Hugo has invested in BTR, PBSA, Single Family housing and more recently Senior Housing. Hugo also established Europa’s in house residential direct management team. Hugo is particularly focused on the UK and Nordics but has experience across Europe and across sectors. Before joining Europa Capital in 2010, Hugo worked at DTZ Corporate Finance. Hugo is a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI). Hugo received a BSc (hons) in Zoology from the University of Edinburgh and was a Cass Business School Scholar where he obtained a MSc in Real Estate Finance.

  Europa Capital

  Partner

  Hugo Black

  Partner

  Europa Capital

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  Luke Sanders

  Luke joined FirstPort in September 2020 through the acquisition of Mainstay Group where he was Group MD, leading a transformation of the business both in terms of customer service in residential block management and also expansion into asset and commercial facilities management. Luke is now COO of Mainstay, the FirstPort group’s commercial and asset management division, with Build to Rent at the heart of the operation. Previously Luke held senior roles with a number of major outsourced service providers delivering property and facilities services to corporate and public sector occupiers.

  Mainstay (part of the Firstport group)

  Chief Operating Officer, Commercial & Asset Manager

  Luke Sanders

  Chief Operating Officer, Commercial & Asset Manager

  Mainstay (part of the Firstport group)

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  Graham Bates

  Graham Bates is the Senior Director Strategy ‑ Europe of LIV Group which is the UK’s ‘go-to’ Management Operator and Consultancy for the Build-to-Rent sector. Graham was instrumental in developing the LIV brand and making it the first to design a fully integrated management platform with a customer service and technology led approach for PRS developments. LIV’s prestigious clients include a number of leading development companies and UK institutional investors.

  LIV Group

  Senior Director Strategy ‑ Europe

  Graham Bates

  Senior Director Strategy ‑ Europe

  LIV Group

• Moderator

  Benjamin McGee

  VP Sales

  RealPage Europe

A Spotlight On BTR Construction

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  Ajaz Shafi

  Ajaz Shafi joined Sisk in 2013. Following a successful spell in the UAE delivering multiple Healthcare facilities, Ajaz became Managing Director of UK South, leading the business unit through a restructuring process, whilst maintaining a financially stable position in the Sisk Group. Highlights of Ajaz’s tenure include the successful delivery of Sisk’s largest project in the UK, Canada Gardens, Wembley and the award winning transformation of Burlington House, which was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II, to mark the Royal Academy of Arts 250th anniversary. With over 30 years’ industry experience, Ajaz has strong leadership skills which allow him to lead effective teams, develop strong and lasting customer relationships, and lead large and complex projects. Ajaz is the key contact for residential delivery in the UK, with approximately 1401 being delivered on site at the moment.

  Managing Director

  John Sisk & Son

  Ajaz Shafi

  John Sisk & Son

  Managing Director

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  Karl Pallas

  As Senior Regional Principal of Multivista, Karl is responsible for leading both the strategic direction of Multivista’s UK business and its day-to-day operations. A chartered surveyor by profession, Karl joined Multivista in 2017 and has subsequently grown the Multivista London and UK operations from the ground-up. Karl has particular experience in managing large, complex projects and programmes. Karl is committed to collaborating with clients and partners to deliver their objectives today and to face the future. He helps organisations take full advantage of digital transformation to improve the efficiency and productivity of their built assets through best-in-class capabilities in reality-capture. By adding capital value, driving occupational use, and reducing operational expense; Karl helps owners and occupiers manage risk and make property a more valuable asset for their organisation. Karl is passionate about the skills agenda and celebrating diversity and inclusion, as well as a strong advocate of early career development.

  Multivista

  Senior Regional Principal

  Moderator

  Karl Pallas

  Senior Regional Principal

  Multivista

Live, Eat, Entertain (& Work): The Changing Role Of The BTR Kitchen

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  John Cahill

  John began his working career in the Merchant Navy with BP Shipping where he qualified as a Deck Officer. On leaving the Merchant Navy John has worked with major kitchen furniture manufacturers ranging from private Companies to large international conglomerates with over 30 years’ experience in manufacturing and supply to the developer market. John joined Omega PLC in April 2016 as Group Contract Sales Director and is responsible for Omega’s growth in the housebuilding and developer market across the UK. Omega have recently invested £20m in their impressive manufacturing facility at Thorne, South Yorkshire including two new state of the art paint lines to meet the growing market demand for matt painted kitchens in 4- week lead times. Omega supply and install high quality kitchens to prestigious developers including the Berkeley Group and Countryside Properties and also to major projects such as Manchester Life and Redrow Colindale. John is also a Trustee of Tadcaster Swimming Pool Trust, a local community based charitable trust that thrives with the support of over 150 volunteers.

  Omega PLC

  Contract Sales Director

  Presentation

  John Cahill

  Contract Sales Director

  Omega PLC