Bisnow's Build To Rent Annual Conference

Simon Woodroffe

Founder
YO!

Simon Woodroffe OBE is the creator of YO! Sushi, the conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain which opened in 1997 and now has over 100 sites around the world. He then launched YOTEL, the world’s most radical hotel in 2007, which now operates a number of sites including 700 rooms in New York City & Singapore, with San Francisco opening later in 2018. By 2020, YOTEL will operate 14 hotels across 6 countries and 3 continents. Not content with resting after all that, Simon is now working on YO! Home, his re-invention of the city apartment which looks set to launch in Manchester in 2019. Simon left school at the age of 16 and spent 30 years in the entertainment business designing and staging concerts for many artists including The Moody Blues, Madness, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder and George Michael before embarking on his YO! adventures in the mid-90’s.

David Brickman

CEO
NewPoint Real Estate Capital

David M. Brickman is the Chief Executive Officer of NewPoint Real Estate Capital and Executive Chairman of Meridian Capital Group, a leading commercial real estate services firm. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to Stone Point Capital, a leading private equity firm in the real estate and financial services arenas. At the end of January 2021 David stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of Freddie Mac, one of the largest providers of mortgage financing in the U.S. Prior to that, he served as President and as a member of the Board of Directors. During his tenure he led the $2 trillion company through a period of significant growth, change, and disruption as the firm successfully navigated the challenges of the COVID crisis. Brickman spent most of his career at Freddie Mac leading and transforming the multifamily business, presiding over a remarkable period of growth. Production rose from $16 billion in 2010 to almost $80 billion in 2018. He also established the company’s flagship K-Deal securitization program as one of the leading securitized products in the structured finance market. He drove significant innovation by expanding Freddie Mac’s products and offerings – particularly those serving the growing need for affordable and workforce housing. Brickman’s educational accomplishments include doctoral coursework for a Ph.D. in economics and real estate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He’s been a professorial lecturer at George Washington University, an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University and is a non-resident Fellow at the Urban Institute. He also holds a US patent for a unique mortgage-backed security structure.

Kirk Lindstrom

CIO
Round Hill Capital

Kirk is Round Hill’s Chief Investment Officer, and he brings over 20 years of experience in real estate, banking and corporate finance. Kirk has previously held senior positions at some of the world’s top investment firms. Prior to joining Round Hill, he was a Managing Director in Goldman Sachs’ European real estate investment banking team. In addition, he previously worked in real estate investment banking at Merrill Lynch in London and New York. His experience includes advising clients on transactions totalling over €20bn in the real estate and lodging industries. Kirk holds a B.A. from Amherst College, Massachusetts.

Angus Dodd

CEO
Quintain

Angus Dodd was appointed Chief Executive of Quintain in June 2016. Quintain is the London developer behind the transformation of Wembley Park in north west London. Quintain have completed more than 2 million sq ft of mixed use development at Wembley Park and by the end of 2017 will have 3,000 homes under construction on this site and outline consent for the delivery of a further 3,000. Prior to Quintain, he was Senior Managing Director, Co-Head European Real Estate Investments, Lone Star Europe Acquisitions LLP, an affiliate of the General Partner of Lone Star Funds. Lone Star acquired Quintain in September 2015. Mr. Dodd joined Lone Star in March 2009. Prior to joining Lone Star, Mr. Dodd served as Managing Director at JER Partners for five years. He previously worked at Parkes & Company and Invesco Real Estate (which acquired Parkes & Company in 2001), BZW and Jones Lang Wootton. Mr. Dodd has an MA in Land Economy from Queens’ College, Cambridge.

Mike Altman

Chief Investment Officer
Cortland

As Chief Investment Officer, Mike Altman directs Cortland's investment strategy with a focus on asset management. Mike joined Cortland in 2007 as a development associate and has played an integral role in growing the company, becoming Executive Vice President of Investments in 2010 before assuming his current role in 2013. Over the course of his career with Cortland, he has led many core aspects of the business that have directly influenced Cortland's evolution from a small development company to one of the leading companies in the multifamily industry, including capital raising and portfolio strategy. His expertise in Cortland’s growth provides a unique perspective on the value of vertical integration, the results of Cortland’s acquisition and renovation strategy, and the influence of a resident-centric approach within the apartment industry. Mike holds his master's degree in Real Estate from Georgia State University and his bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from the University of Georgia. He is a licensed real estate broker and is associated with the Atlanta Multifamily Network and the U.S. Green Building Council.

Joanne McNamara

Head of Europe
Oxford Properties

Joanne McNamara is Executive Vice President – Europe of Oxford Properties, a leading global real estate investor, asset manager and business builder. In this role, Jo is responsible for all aspects of Oxford’s business across Europe. Jo is a member of Oxford’s Leadership team, Investment and Executive Committees, and most recently took up a non-executive role at ESR, a Pan-Asian fund management business. Jo was one of Oxford’s first team members in London, joining the European investment team in 2010, and over the past decade has contributed to and led many of the organization’s most significant investment and development transactions. Jo was most recently responsible for the operating performance of Oxford’s European business and leadership of the 40+ person European team. Prior to joining Oxford, Jo worked in investments and development at leading real estate companies. Jo has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (Honours) from Cardiff University and a Master of Science in International Real Estate from the Oxford Brookes University and currently lives in London. She previously received recognition as a PERE Woman of Influence and received a 2021 PERE Award for European Industry figure of the year.

Martijn Vos

Senior Portfolio Manager
APG Asset Management

Harry Handelsman

Founder
Manhattan Loft

As the developer behind Chiltern Firehouse, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel and Ealing Studios, Harry has been conjuring vibrant communities within London’s most famous and forgotten postcodes since 1992. Born in Germany, raised in France and Belgium and educated in Canada, it was New York that inspired Harry to develop the concept of London loft-living, where he found a property market in need of new ideas but blessed with great buildings. Harry’s eye for architecture and instinct for an area’s potential transformed derelict structures in unloved locations into some of the most desirable destinations in London. His latest project is Manhattan Loft Gardens, a 42-storey, double cantilevered tower in East London that will redefine vertical living. In 2012 Harry was awarded an honorary fellowship by RIBA. He sits on the board of Artangel, Art in the City and is a trustee of The South London Gallery and The Hayward Gallery.

Reza Merchant

Founder
The Collective

Reza's journey started while studying at the London School of Economics. Frustrated by the lack of high-quality yet affordable accommodation for young people in London, he decided to tackle this problem by creating his own lettings agency called Share in the City. Over time, this has evolved into The Collective, one of the most innovative and fastest-growing property companies in London. Following a number of smaller-scale schemes around London, The Collective launched the world's largest co-living building, The Collective Old Oak, in May 2016, offering 550 rooms. It was fully let by the end of the year. The company currently has a total 2,000 beds in its portfolio and development pipeline, with two new co-living towers currently under development in Canary Wharf and Stratford. Additionally, Reza was recently listed as one of the Evening Standard's most influential people in London and as one of Property Week's Top Forty under 40. The Collective Old Oak won the Creative Spaces Award in 2016 from Estates Gazette and British GQ listed it as the second best thing in the world in 2016, just behind Drake.

Lynn Gilbert

Head of Senior Commercial Mortgages
M&G

Lynn Gilbert is head of origination for M&G Real Estate Funds having been there since 2013. In a career spanning nearly 30 years, Lynn has held senior roles at Renshaw Bay, Barclays Capital, Morgan Stanley and SocGen.

Peter Anderson

Managing Director
Canary Wharf Group

As Managing Director, Finance, Peter is responsible for all the Group’s financial activities including accounting, financial analysis, investment, treasury management, tax strategic planning and information technology. He is also responsible for all of Group’s residential development activity, and Vertus, it’s PRS investment vehicle. Peter has been a main Board director since 1995. Prior to joining Canary Wharf Group, Peter was a Managing Director of UBS Investment Bank from 1981 – 1991. Peter has an MBA from the University of Chicago Masters and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin. Peter served on the Board of Transport for London and was Chairman of the Finance and Policy Committee 2006 - 2017.

Michael Allen

Director, Build to Rent
Quintain

Mr. Michael Allen has been Managing Director of Tipi at Quintain Limited since October 24, 2017 and served as its PRS Director since August 01, 2016 until October 24, 2017. Mr. Allen joined Quintain in 2015 to run the PRS business - Tipi. He has over 10 years of PRS experience in the US having previously managed 4,000+ units for TIAA-CREF and 2,000+ units in New York City for institutional investors. Both portfolios gave him exposure to all aspects of investment and asset management, new build/ refurbishment and operational management. He holds a Master of City Planning degree from MIT.

Graham Bates

Senior Director Strategy ‑ Europe
LIV Group

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.

Johnny Caddick

Managing Director
Moda Living

Johnny and his father Paul Caddick run the Caddick Group, founded in 1979 it has grown to become one of the largest and most successful property companies in the UK. Johnny has been responsible for some of the group’s most high-profile schemes including the development of Trinity Leeds, the 1m sq. ft. shopping centre in the heart of the city, and more recently, SOYO Leeds – a 6-acre mixed use site that Caddick is investing £300 million to redevelop. In 2009 Johnny established Caddick Group’s urban residential team with the commencement of Vauxhall Sky Gardens, a 36-storey residential development in London. In 2013, Johnny founded Moda, the first regional high amenity build-to-rent platform in the UK. Since the inception Moda has secured a pipeline of over 6,750 apartments across the UK with a development value in excess of £2bn. Caddick also owns Headingley Stadium in Leeds which is currently undergoing a £40million redevelopment.

Michela Hancock

Managing Director
Greystar

Michela leads the development business in the UK. She focuses on overseeing execution of current projects including financing, amenity and unit planning, design, entitlements, construction and lease up efforts on multifamily and student developments. In addition, Michela is helping to secure a pipeline of 10,000 units in the next 3-4 years. She is currently Vice Chairman of the Urban Land Institute’s UK Residential Council, a member of the British Property Federation (BPF) Build to Rent Committee and a board member, treasurer and chair of the events and marketing committee of the United Kingdom Apartment Association (UKAA).

Andrew Wheldon

Director, Commercial Real Estate
Lloyds Banking

Andrew is a director in the Commercial Real Estate team at Lloyds Bank and is also a board director for the Housing Growth Partnership, a social impact investor backed by Lloyds Bank and Homes England. Lloyds has specialist real estate teams in six UK locations and deployed £8.6bn of new lending into the UK market in 2016. Andrew has been heavily involved in the UK PRS sector, financing some of the foremost names in the market. A chartered surveyor by background, he was previously Head of Residential Origination in the Royal Bank of Scotland’s real estate finance business and a Senior Director in CBRE’s debt and structured finance business.

Phillippa Hardman

Managing Director
RCH

Phillippa co-founded RCH in 2001 and is a leading UK wellbeing expert, specialising in the development of wellbeing and fitness spaces in the residential property sector. With wellbeing being at its peak globally, these spaces are a very important component part of any residential development, including build to rent schemes. RCH has consulted on over 80 schemes and has installed over 50 gyms. RCH is also a gym and spa management company and has 38 contracts under management. RCH clients include: AIG, Legal & General, Westfield, Rockspring, Atlas Residential, Quintain, Greystar, Grainger, Canary Wharf Group, Berkeley Homes, St James, Qatari Diar, Telford Homes, Stanhope, Native Land and many others. Phillippa recently visited and researched over 20 multi-family buildings in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Miami. “The mature US Multi-family housing market definitely helps us see some of what may be coming to the UK over time” she says. Phillippa understands current and developing trends in this field and her expertise covers a full spectrum from health and safety and compliance to emerging wellbeing technology and the growth in demand for virtual and immersive fitness studios. RCH also assists in overall amenity space-planning as well as providing master planning wellbeing strategy across large estates, over long build programmes. This in turn enhances the residential community. Phillippa comments “Our job is not just to make sure the fitness spaces operate to budget and are safe; we also need to ensure they are current and reflect London and global trends” she goes on to say: “It’s about surpassing residents’ expectations, firstly we want our work to help attract them to live in the building and secondarily, we play a big part in making them stay longer”

Harry Downes

Managing Director
Fizzy Living

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.

Andrew Saunderson

Investment Director
Grainger

Andrew is Investment Director at Grainger plc. Since joining Grainger in 2001 he has been instrumental in facilitating a number of large acquisitions of both assets and corporate entities. In line with the group’s strategy to invest £850m into the Build to Rent sector, Andrew’s focus is now on managing the investment team, who are responsible for sourcing and acquiring these assets. Andrew also has overall responsibility for the sales and asset management divisions. Andrew is a member of Grainger Executive Committee and is the groups representative on the BPF Residential Committee. Prior to joining Grainger Andrew worked at Allsop LLP where he qualified as a Chartered Surveyor.

Sophie White

Head of Infrastructure, PRS & Complex Projects
HCA

Sophie is the Head of PRS, Infrastructure and Complex Projects at the Homes and Communities Agency. A chartered surveyor with over 20 years’ experience she is currently leading on delivering the agency’s Home Building Fund for large sites and infrastructure. Sophie has expertise in delivering funding structures including senior debt, mezzanine finance and equity transactions. She has had involvement on a number of high profile and complex real estate projects including development finance at East Village and Greenwich Peninsula, large scale national PRS debt and the recently announced HCA investment in the PRS REIT. Sophie previously worked for Drivers Jonas and Deloitte Real Estate specialising in valuation and development.

Murtaza Bukhari

GM - Strategic Partnerships Europe
Samsung

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.

Sowgol Zarinchang

Managing Director
Way of Life

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.

Iain Murray

Senior Director, BTR Consultancy (Europe)
Cortland Consult

Kent Taylor

CEO
Red Door Ventures

Kent joined the Board of Red Door in April 2016 and was responsible for the financial management of the company along with the HR, IT and Company Secretarial functions. From 1st January 2017 Kent was appointed Chief Executive to take the organisation forward. He has extensive experience in residential and commercial property development and private market rent sectors. Kent has also gained experience in the not for profit sector working for two separate housing associations. In his early career, he trained and qualified as an accountant whilst working for British Coal, before moving into the private sector. He initially worked as Finance Director for both Civil Engineering and Utility Contracting Companies, before joining the national housebuilder; Keepmoat plc.

Michael Swiszczowski

UK Board Director
Chapman Taylor

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

Fergus Evans

Office Portfolio Director
Grosvenor Property UK

Fergus leads the asset, development and property management activities of Grosvenor’s UK regional office portfolio. He is responsible for managing the assets day to day with support from the wider team as well as driving financial, environmental and social performance at a portfolio level. Fergus has been with the business since 2010 with significant experience in the London development market most recently leading a number of residential and mixed- use development projects in Victoria including the 520,000 sq ft Cundy Street Quarter scheme. Prior to that he led the Bermondsey Project masterplan design to transform a 12-acre site into a 1,550 home scheme. Fergus has sat on the NLA’s Expert Housing Panel and co-chaired the ULI Development Forum.

Martin Betts

Regional Director UK, Ireland
Yardi

Martin Betts heads the sales operations for Yardi Systems across the UK and Ireland. Betts joined Yardi from Qube Global Software having spent 11 years with the company. Previously Betts had spells with both MRI Software, Fraser Williams and ITT. His wealth of experience in the real estate market and how technology can benefit the sector spans more than 17 years. Betts is a specialist in commercial real estate asset, investment and property management with specific expertise in the retail sector; successfully helping centre owners and managers drive enhanced value and revenue by utilizing software solutions.

Darren Carter

Investment Manager
Cheyne Capital

Darren Carter joined Cheyne in September 2006. Darren is responsible for origination and execution for the Social Property Impact Fund. Most recently, Darren was a member of the Special Investment Group, which oversaw the management and exit of some of the firm’s European commercial and residential real estate investments. Darren started his career at Cheyne as head of the Alternatives Business Management team which involved managing a wide variety of investments in differing asset classes. Prior to joining Cheyne, Darren worked as a business manager for the Financial Structuring Team within the Global Banking & Markets division of The Royal Bank of Scotland in London. He has a 1st class BEng (Hons) from De Montfort University.

Andrew Southern

Chairman
Southern Grove

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.

Mike Kavanau

Senior Managing Director
HFF

Mr. Kavanau is a Senior Managing Director and co-head of the London office of HFF (NYSE: HF) with more than 25 years of experience in commercial real estate, including debt, investment advisory and equity placement. He is primarily responsible for originating debt transactions throughout the U.K., as well as being responsible for the day-to-day operations of the firm’s London office. Mr. Kavanau’s focus is on multi-housing, office, retail and hotel properties. Throughout the course of his career with HFF, Mr. Kavanau has completed in excess of $16 billion in commercial real estate transactions. Mr. Kavanau joined the firm in 1988. Prior to HFF, he was the Director of Acquisitions for Concord Assets Group.

Rajesh Shah

Executive Commercial Director
Quintain

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.