In this episode of EG Property Podcast EG editor Samantha McClary talks with Chris Grigg, the former chief executive of British Land, about his 12 years running one of the country's oldest property company.
Over the 40 minute conversation Chris and Sam chat about everything from modernising British Land, how to lead on diversity when you are a white middle class man, what it's like running a public business for so long, the highs the lows, what advice Chris would give anyone looking to be a future leader... And why knowing what people are thinking and being able to predict the future would be the greatest superpower any CEO could possess.
The interview was recorded as part of a Movers & Shakers event and can be watched here if you'd prefer a visual treat or you can read the interview in EG on online at www.egi.co.uk/news
Earlier this month, Landsec got the go ahead for a major redevelopment of 25 Lavington Street, SE1. The 370,000 sq ft project, Timber Square, promises to be a net zero carbon development.
One quarter of the existing building will be retained, materials recycled and, as its name gives away, timber will be utilised extensively.
In this podcast, EG editor Samantha McClary chats to Landsec’s Matt Flood and Nils Rage and the architect behind the scheme, Peter Fisher from Bennett Associates to find out more about the project and the drivers behind its sustainable ambitions.
Experts in the field join Jess Harrold to offer their own thoughts on the three most important property cases of 2020.
Emma Humphreys, partner at Charles Russell Speechlys, considers the significance of the Supreme Court restrictive covenant decision in Alexander Devine Children’s Cancer Trust v Housing Solutions Ltd.
Roger Cohen, partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, offers his own personal reflection on his involvement in Cardtronics Europe Ltd and others v Sykes (VO) and others.
And Joanne Wicks QC and Emer Murphy, barristers at Wilberforce Chambers, join forces once again to discuss the implications of our number one case, Duval v 11-13 Randolph Crescent Ltd.
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This year has been year that businesses have had to get much closer to their staff and have done so by being distant from them.
But it has also been a year where the slowdown in business and economic turmoil has meant many businesses have had to have difficult conversations and slimdown their headcounts.
It has been a year where looking after your talent and getting the best from it has never been more important.
In the last of EG’s Tales of the Unexpected podcasts, a series looking at the lessons learnt out of the forced changes we have all had to make during the coronavirus pandemic, EG editor Samantha McClary is joined by Kate Jansen, director of organisational development at Willmott Dixon, Chris Keates-Lewis, HR & operations partner at TFT, Robin Panrucker, senior talent development business partner at Taylor Wessing and Jennifer Howells, head of talent management at JLL, to talk about what we have learnt about our people and what our people have taught us about how to operate our businesses.
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No-one could have imagined the hand dealt to cities this year.
Imagery of vacant major cities where we wouldn’t have been surprised to have seen tumbleweed blowing across streets flooded the internet. Wildlife took over. People, business and the hustle bustle disappeared. The rulebook on what a city was, was torn up.
That was cities during the pandemic. But what will cities look like and how will they operate in a post-pandemic world. Will the hustle and bustle come back as quickly as it disappeared, or have cities changed forever?
In the third of EG’s four part series looking at the lessons learnt out of the forced changes we have all had to make during the coronavirus pandemic, EG editor Samantha McClary chats to Sophie Chick, director of World Research at Savills, Henry Pelly, senior sustainability consultant at Max Fordham, Andrew Rich, fund manager at Nuveen and Susan Samuel, real estate partner at DLA Piper about what a re-imagination of our cities will look like and what city investors, developers, dwellers and workers have learnt from this most unexpected of years.
After a tumultuous twelve months, EG’s Jess Harrold and Sarah Jackman have produced their top 10 cases of the year.
The list features everything from telecoms to landlord and tenant and business rates to insurance – as well as a few honourable mentions.
Has your case made it? Tune in for the full count down from ten to the number one spot.
(The selection is based on decisions handed down between 1 January and 14 December.)
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When a global crisis struck in 2008, sustainability quickly got pushed down the agenda by businesses. There wasn’t the available cash to spend on being green, went the rhetoric.
But when a global pandemic struck this year, the opposite happened. Despite the worldwide shutdown of economies, despite the hardships faced by individuals and businesses alike, a focus on sustainability and social impact has never been more important.
Now corporates can’t afford not to invest in it.
In the second of four special EG Property Podcasts looking at the lessons learnt out of the forced changes we have all had to make during the coronavirus pandemic, EG editor Samantha McClary chats to Tor Borrows, executive director of sustainability and innovation at Grosvenor, David Goatman, head of energy & natural resources EMEA at Knight Frank, Sonny Masero, chief strategy officer at Evora Global, Cherie Norris, Herts IQ programme manager at Hertfordshire Innovation Quarter and Sarah Ratcliffe, chief executive of the Better Buildings Partnership, about why sustainability and been a winner in this crisis and what they hope real estate continues to do to keep climate under control.
In this week’s We’re Still Here podcast EG editor Samantha McClary and deputy editor Tim Burke talk about a bumper issue of EG looking back at the most unusual of years.
Crammed full of big reads for you to digest alongside all those mince pies or whatever other festive treats you might over-indulge in, EG’s final printed issue of the year includes a deep dive into the pain and the potential of the retail market, the value to be extracted from temporary uses, what a re-imagination of Oxford Street could bring as well as a wander down memory lane, featuring some of the biggest stories from the year and our greatest Lockdown Diaries.
Listen in to hear Sam and Tim not only discuss their 2020 highlights and what they have been most thankful for this year, but to unleash their inner Springer too.
Future of Real Estate: In a critical week for Brexit negotiations, investment minister Lord Grimstone tells Damian Wild that this sector has a vital role in driving post-Covid investment in the UK. He’s hoping for geopolitical and health-related uncertainties to lift in the new year, and for the “propensity to invest” to return. Tech, home working and, especially, sustainability will propel change, he says – and real estate should lead the drive to build back better.
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Town centres with big units are facing challenging times but experienced private investors are still looking for retail investment opportunities through auction and private treaty. By Julia Cahill
Warren Buffett famously told investors to “be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful.” The multibillionaire investor’s advice in his 2004 letter to shareholders was aimed at those who “insist on trying to time their participation in equities”.
But it’s a mantra for some of the most highly experienced private investors in the commercial property market too, Allsop partner George Walker told a Future of Auctions podcast.
Indeed, one such seasoned investor saw the perfect opportunity to satisfy buyers who were certainly hungry, if not greedy, in the 3 November Allsop commercial auction.
From his home in Florida, the vendor created an online bidding frenzy by placing an office building opposite Windsor Castle into the auction. The 4,000 sq ft Grade II listed building offered £100,000 of income per annum, a lease expiry in 2023 and clear residential redevelopment potential.
