People Property Place

• Alistair Smith, Head of Real Estate at Border to Coast – Building a £2bn Pension Property Platform

  What does it take to design and deliver a £2 billion real-estate platform serving over a million UK pensioners - while keeping a long-term focus in a short-term world? This week, I sat down with Alistair Smith, Head of Real Estate at Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, to unpack his 30-year career spanning advisory, private-equity, and institutional real estate - and the leadership lessons learned through every market cycle. Alistair's journey includes senior roles at abrdn, where he led European real-estate investment management, before joining Border to Coast in 2022 to launch its UK Direct and Global Indirect Pooled Funds - now managing roughly £2 billion across 11 partner funds. We discuss navigating mergers, restructuring portfolios, and how to build enduring value in an industry defined by change. Key Topics Covered In This Episode ✅ From Advisory to Institutional - The path from chartered surveyor to head of real estate ✅ Mergers & Change - Lessons from the abrdn / Standard Life integration ✅ Redundancy & Resilience - How to rebuild and refocus after a career shock ✅ Building Border to Coast - How to pool 11 pension funds and create a £2 billion platform ✅ Long-Term Value - Why durable income beats short-term churn in real-estate investing ✅ Market Outlook - Where he sees opportunity as core real estate rebalances Oh, and one last thing… In every episode, I ask each guest: Who are the People, what Property, and which Place they'd invest in if they had £500 million at their disposal? Alistair's answer reflected discipline, clarity, and a decades-long belief in the power of durable income and quality assets 💷 Got thoughts or questions about this episode? Drop them in the comments - I'd love to hear from you. And if you're enjoying what I'm putting out, don't forget to hit subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode. The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne – Recruiting Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. 🔊 LIKE  ➡  SHARE  ➡  SUBSCRIBE 👉 http://peoplepropertyplace.com/

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• Will Rowson, Founder of Newland Capital Partners – Reinventing Through Every Cycle

  What does it take to stay relevant through four decades, across every market cycle, and still have the hunger to build something new? This week, I sat down with Will Rowson, Founder of Newland Capital Partners, to unpack his 35-year journey across global real estate — from gritty East London industrial estates to leading Europe's largest investment platform — and what it really takes to adapt, evolve, and keep learning. Will's career includes senior roles as EMEA CIO at CBRE Investment Management, Equity Partner at Hodes Weill, and CEO of Global Student Accommodation (GSA), where he helped raise over $2 billion in equity. Now, through Newland Capital Partners, he advises leading European managers on capital strategy, equity raising, and navigating a market in flux. We discuss the power of reinvention, lessons from leadership, and where he believes opportunity lies in the "living" and logistics sectors over the next cycle.   Key Topics Covered In This Episode: ✅ From Strutt & Parker to CBRE — Lessons from the early days of valuation and leasing ✅ Across the Cycles — What 35 years in European real estate has taught him about timing ✅ Facing Cancer — How a life-changing diagnosis reshaped his outlook and leadership ✅ The Squeezed Middle — Why mid-sized fund managers must adapt or consolidate ✅ Continuation Funds — What they reveal about today's market ✅ Living & Logistics — Why these two sectors still offer the best risk-adjusted returns   Oh, and one last thing… In every episode, I ask each guest: Who are the People, what Property, and which Place they'd invest in if they had £500 million at their disposal? Will's answer was pragmatic, data-driven — and full of hard-won perspective 👌   Got any thoughts or questions about this episode? Drop them in the comments — I'd love to hear from you. And if you're enjoying what I'm putting out, don't forget to hit subscribe and turn on the notification bell so you never miss an episode. The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne – Recruiting Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers.   🔊 LIKE ➡ SHARE ➡ SUBSCRIBE 👉 http://peoplepropertyplace.com/

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• Anthony Maxwell-Jones, Founder of Valorem – Building a Real Estate Platform from Scratch

  What does it take to walk away from a successful private-equity career and build your own real-estate investment platform from scratch? This week, I sat down with Anthony Maxwell-Jones, Founder & Managing Partner at Valorem Investment Partners, to unpack his journey from the early days at Mercer / Castleforge to founding Valorem - and what he's learned along the way about timing, risk, and backing yourself. Anthony has quietly built one of the UK's most interesting boutique investment platforms, deploying over £80 million across offices, student, residential, hotel, and strategic-land assets - achieving a 20 % IRR and 2.2× MOIC. We discuss how he spotted opportunity in the wake of the GFC, why he left a newly raised fund to go it alone, and the lessons that came from building Valorem through Brexit, Covid, and a volatile rate cycle. ⸻ Key Topics Covered In This Episode: ✅ From Castleforge to Valorem - How Anthony transitioned from analyst to entrepreneur ✅ The Leap - What gave him the confidence to found his own firm at 27 ✅ Covid Chaos - How a "malicious virus clause" saved a £90 million office scheme ✅ Family Office Capital - Building trust, track record & long-term partnerships ✅ Discipline & Patience - Investing through a stagnant market without pressure to deploy ✅ Future Focus - Why defence infrastructure and core-plus offices are on his radar ⸻ Oh, and one last thing… In every episode, I ask each guest: Who are the People, what Property, and which Place they'd invest in if they had £500 million at their disposal? Anthony's answer did not disappoint 👌 Got any thoughts or questions about this podcast? Drop them in the comments - I'm always up for a chat! And if you're enjoying what I'm putting out, don't forget to hit subscribe and turn on the notification bell so you never miss an episode. The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne – Recruiting Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. 🔊 LIKE ➡ SHARE ➡ SUBSCRIBE 👉 http://peoplepropertyplace.com/

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• José Pellicer, Founder Partner of Evonite – De-Globalisation, Contrarian Bets & The Next Decade of Real Estate

  What happens when the global order that shaped real estate for decades begins to fracture? This week, I sat down with José Pellicer, Founder Partner at Evonite, to unpack how de-globalisation, contrarian bets, and a smarter approach to thematics will shape the winners of the next 5–10 years. José brings a sharp, historically grounded perspective on risk pricing, macro shifts, and how to identify real opportunities in a noisy market. From railway mania in the 1840s to data centres today, he explains why blindly following themes isn't enough — and where nimble managers can still find edge. We explore how the investment landscape is changing, who stands to win, and the mindset required to build conviction in a fragmented world. ⸻ Key Topics Covered In This Episode: ✅ De-Globalisation — The end of the "safe seas" era and why it matters for real estate ✅ The Next Decade — Who wins as global power dynamics shift ✅ Thematics vs Bottom-Up — Why real opportunities aren't found by following the herd ✅ Contrarian Bets — Where pricing risk correctly can create outsized returns ✅ Blackstone & Bad Emperors — Lessons from history and market cycles ✅ Opportunity for Real Estate — How nimble managers can thrive in polarised markets ⸻ Oh, and one last thing… In every episode, I ask each guest: Who are the People, what Property, and which Place they would invest in if they had £500m at their disposal? José's answer did not disappoint 👌 Got any thoughts or questions about this podcast? Drop them in the comments — I'm always up for a chat! And if you're enjoying what I'm putting out, don't forget to hit subscribe and turn on the notification bell so you never miss an episode. The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne – Recruiting Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. 🔊 LIKE ➡ SHARE ➡ SUBSCRIBE 👉 http://peoplepropertyplace.com/

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• Christophe Garbe, Managing Partner of GARBE - Building a Pan-European Real Estate Powerhouse

  Building a Pan-European Real Estate Powerhouse | Christophe Garbe (GARBE) Subscribe To My Channel For More Videos: 👉 http://peoplepropertyplace.com/ Hey Everyone, Welcome Back! What does it take to scale a family-run development business into a €15 billion pan-European real estate platform? This week, I sat down with Christophe Garbe, Managing Partner of GARBE, to unpack how he grew the company from its Hamburg roots into one of Europe's leading logistics and real estate players — now operating across 13 countries with 21 offices. Christophe shares his journey from joining the family business to taking over the UK arm just before the Global Financial Crisis, rationalising the platform, and spearheading GARBE's "2.0" strategy — doubling down on logistics, expanding into residential and science & tech, and building out a European development and fund management engine. We explore how GARBE has navigated shifting market cycles, why decentralisation has been key to their growth, and how Christophe is positioning the business for the next chapter of European real estate. ⸻ Key Topics Covered In This Episode: ✅ Scaling Across Europe – From Hamburg beginnings to a €15 billion platform spanning 13 countries ✅ Crisis Leadership – Taking over the UK business on the eve of the GFC ✅ Strategic Evolution – Logistics, residential, science & tech, data centres and beyond ✅ Decentralised Model – Empowering local teams to drive accountability and growth ✅ Lifelong Learning – How studying at Harvard sharpened strategic thinking despite dyslexia ✅ Market Outlook – Navigating uncertainty and spotting opportunities across European markets ⸻ Oh, and one last thing… In every episode, I ask each guest: Who are the People, what Property, and which Place they would invest in if they had £500m at their disposal? Christophe's answer did not disappoint 👌 Got any thoughts or questions about this podcast? Drop them in the comments — I'm always up for a chat! And if you're enjoying what I'm putting out, don't forget to hit subscribe and turn on the notification bell so you never miss an episode. The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne – Recruiting Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. 🔊 LIKE ➡ SHARE ➡ SUBSCRIBE 👉 http://peoplepropertyplace.com/

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