Investing In The Future: Opportunities In Retrofit

Assess Whether Your Portfolio Is Ready To Upgrade

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  Andy Booth

  Director

  Nuveen

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  Ami Kotecha

  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.

  Amro Partners

  Co-founder and Head of Venture Investments

  Ami Kotecha

  Co-founder and Head of Venture Investments

  Amro Partners

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  Rob West

  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.

  Clearbell

  Managing Partner

  Rob West

  Managing Partner

  Clearbell

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  Mark Swetman

  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.

  LS Estates

  CEO

  Mark Swetman

  CEO

  LS Estates

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  Daryl Harris

  Senior Vice President - Global Construction Practice

  Lockton

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  Rebecca Davison

  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.

  Howard Kennedy

  Partner

  Moderator

  Rebecca Davison

  Partner

  Howard Kennedy

Energising Change: A Retrofit Revolution

Discover The Sustainability Benefits Of Upgrading Buildings

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  John Davies

  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.

  Derwent London plc

  Head of Sustainability

  John Davies

  Head of Sustainability

  Derwent London plc

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  Ross Sayers

  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.

  Landsec

  Head of Development Management

  Ross Sayers

  Head of Development Management

  Landsec

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  Sophie Goddard

  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.

  Canary Wharf Group

  Director of Sustainability

  Sophie Goddard

  Director of Sustainability

  Canary Wharf Group

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  Daniel Hunt

  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.

  Agilité

  UK Country Head

  Daniel Hunt

  UK Country Head

  Agilité

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  Andrew Davidson

  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.

  Studio PDP

  Partner

  Andrew Davidson

  Partner

  Studio PDP

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  Ben Redding

  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.

  Clifford Chance

  Senior Associate

  Moderator

  Ben Redding

  Senior Associate

  Clifford Chance

Presentations Across The Day

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  Vijay Sodiwala

  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.

  Wireless Infrastructure Group (WIG)

  Commercial Director

  Vijay Sodiwala

  Commercial Director

  Wireless Infrastructure Group (WIG)

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  John Bushell

  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.

  KPF

  Principal

  John Bushell

  Principal

  KPF