Commercial Property Pioneers: Entrepreneurs and innovators within commercial property

In episode 7 of the second season of the Commercial Pioneers podcast, Matthew Green – European Managing Director of CoStar Group, sat down with a Principal and President UK at Avison Young - Jason Sibthorpe. Jason talks through his commercial real estate journey, building a diverse team in Avison Young and the importance of strong leadership in large organisations. For the full interview, go to Apple Podcast, Spotify or any other podcast app of your choice.

In episode 6 of the second season of the Commercial Pioneers podcast, Paul Norman of CoStar News UK sat down with a serial entrepreneur - Benjamin Willmore of YoooServ. Ben talks through his entrepreneurial journey with his first business and how the unmet need of the market led him to start YoooServ. He dives into the future of the serviced office sector post-pandemic with new trends emerging. For the full interview, go to Apple Podcast, Spotify or any other podcast app of your choice.

In episode 5 of the second season of the Commercial Pioneers podcast, Paul Norman of CoStar News UK sat down with Steve Holloway, Global Director of Franchise at IWG Group. Steve’s background in franchising gives a great perspective on the development of this model in commercial real estate, especially in the office sector. He also touches on the emerging trend of retail conversions into flexible offices and mixed-use spaces. Paul also probes Steve on the wider impact of the pandemic on the serviced office sector in the UK and globally. For the full interview, go to Apple Podcast, Spotify or any other podcast app of your choice.

In episode 4 of the Commercial Property Pioneers podcast – Season 2, Paul Norman (the Managing Editor of CoStar News UK) interviews Jeanne Wood of CallisonRTKL. Jeanne talks through new and emerging trends in designing commercial spaces including retail, office and leisure. Throughout the conversation, Jeanne stresses the importance of sustainability in the design of new spaces. She gives us her predictions of trends in architecture and placemaking for the post-pandemic future. Listen now to the full interview with Jeanne Wood from CallisonRTKL on Apple Podcast, Spotify or any other podcast app of your choice.

In episode 3, we are talking to Steve Jude - CEO of NewFlex about the changing needs of office tenants and the evolution of the office market in and out of London. Steve tells us his accidental journey into commercial real estate and how he’s built his career in flex space. In the course of our conversation, Steve also predicts key trends for office markets in London and the UK, especially in secondary markets. Tune in now for the entire interview with Steve Jude conducted by Paul Norman – Managing Editor of CoStar News UK.

In our second instalment of the Realla Commercial Property Pioneers podcast – Season 2, Paul Norman, Managing Editor of CoStar News, speaks with Christoph Wittkop, founder of Sonar Real Estate and a board member of Barings Germany. Christoph talks us through specific features of the commercial real estate market in Germany and what makes it attractive to foreign investors. Chris also highlights the speed of change taking place in the German market and beyond as a result of the global pandemic. 2021 is an important year for German politics. It’s the final year of Angela Merkel’s almost two-decade-long reign, and will also host a federal election. Chris gives us his predictions for the election, revealing who he thinks will become the new Chancellor. Listen to the episode for the full interview.

We are opening the second season of the Realla Commercial Property Pioneers podcast with an interview with Helen Shellabear, Managing Director of Shellwin. In our conversation, Helen talks us through the opportunities and challenges of taking over a family office, as well as balancing family needs with business growth. We also explore the world beyond COVID with Helen sharing her outlook on the Thames Valley market and predictions for 2021. Helen is a strong advocate for women in commercial real estate and is part of the network ‘Women Talk Real Estate’. Listen to the episode for the full interview.

Paul Norman, the editor in chief of the CoStar News UK, sat down with Chris Geaves from Sovereign Centros to chat about building successful retail investment business in the era of e-commerce and CVAs. Chris shared how creating retail spaces brands actually want is key to the growth of the Sovereign’s portfolio. With over £2 billion under management, Sovereign Centros is in a good position to take advantage of the changing trends in retail properties. From destination building to showrooming to accommodating last-mile deliveries for e-commerce, you name it - they got it covered. Listen to the podcast now! If strapped for time, check out time stamps below to skip to the part that picked your interest most. Timestamps: [00:00:55] Chris Geaves on his background [00:06:03] What does Sovereign do? [00:09:07] The role of private equity investors in retail value-add assets [00:10:24] Acquisitions of Centros [00:12:33] What do private equity firms want to get out of retail investing in these turbulent times? [00:16:13] Has retail reached the bottom yet? [00:17:30] Business diversification and building skill set for the future [00:20:47] Following retailers – how to provide the space retailers want [00:24:37] Animating retail spaces – how leisure takes over struggling retails [00:25:46] The latest projects update – Preston [00:27:40] Analysing retail deals in a difficult climate [00:29:54] What’s happening with the Telford scheme? [00:33:01] What are the trends in retail? [00:36:45]An impact of last-mile deliveries and the rise of e-commerce on physical assets in retail and industrial [00:39:22] Sustainability in modern retail properties

In this first episode of 2020, Andy Miles of Realla sits down with Charlie Green of The Office Group. Hear about the growth of TOG over the last 17 years, including milestones in their journey like bringing onboard new investors. Charlie discusses how the flexible space market changed during this time, from a relative niche, to a hot and growing sector. Hear his views on WeWork, on working with Blackstone and Lloyd Dorfman, his philosophy on building design and service, and much more. Time stamps: [00:00:27] Charlie Green about himself [00:01:35] The beginnings of TOG [00:02:42] The state of the serviced office market [00:13:10] TOG's partnership with Lloyd Dorfman of Travelex [00:18:27] Key factors in building flexible space businesses [00:21:12] About WeWork [00:29:11] TOG acquisition by Blackstone [00:35:13] TOG in 5 years’ time [00:39:57] The future role of commercial property agents in leasing [00:42:00] PropTech startups [00:46:16] Technology - build it or buy it?

"In terms of PropTech, it's something that M7, since its very beginning, thought to be at the core of our real estate investment strategy." - Richard Croft of M7 and Conan Lauterpacht of M7 Structura VC talk about their new VC fund and the investment strategy. Learn why you don’t give money to founders you don’t trust and what types of PropTech opportunities are on the radar of their new VC firm.

Harry Badham, Head of UK Development at AXA, discusses their 1.2m sq ft office tower which is due to complete next year - the largest single building ever built in the City of London. Andy Miles, CEO of Realla, hears from Harry about the process from appraisal, to acquisition, design and leasing. Harry explains why we shouldn't consider this building large, placing the scheme in its global context. He also talks through the brave decision to push the button on development shortly after the Brexit referendum, when so many developers decided the risk was too high. We also hear about the unique amenities, technology and placemaking around this new landmark for London. More episodes on here

Julian Carey, Executive Director of Stenprop, and Andy Miles, CEO of Realla, discuss Stenprop's journey to become the leading Multi-let Industrial property business in the UK, including the trends driving demand, the technology, people and service behind the business, and the London listing to support the growth. Read more about this podcast on our website: