This series goes deep with some of the most compelling figures in commercial real estate: the deal-makers, the game-changers, the city-shapers and the larger-than-life personalities who keep CRE interesting. Henry Bott has been embracing the Miami lifestyle since he moved to its Brickell neighborhood in January after being named president of Swire Properties. He spends time outside with his two kids and explores the food scene on Saturdays with his wife, but he’s been having trouble finding the time to get outside of Brickell, where Swire has been developing properties since 1979 and recently announced two new projects. Bott runs the U.S. real estate arm of Swire Properties — a Hong Kong-based company that is part of the UK-based conglomerate John Swire & Sons — which announced in June that it was partnering with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group on a branded hotel and residence project that will occupy the last development site on Brickell Key, an exclusive island just off the mainland.    Just a month earlier, Swire and Related Cos. started demolition at the site of One Brickell City Centre, a planned 1,000-foot-tall office tower that would be the tallest commercial building in Florida and that Bott says will help cement Brickell as the top destination for financial firms relocating from northern cities.   The 1.4M SF office tower will add to Brickell City Centre, a mixed-use complex covering 9 acres that includes office space, a hotel and retail mall. Bott’s been busy there as well, helping to secure tenants for the 500K SF of retail space that first opened in 2016 as a luxury mall but has shifted in recent years toward lifestyle-focused retailers. In this interview, Bott speaks about the commercial real estate landscape in Miami, how his experience developing mixed-use projects in Asia informs his South Florida strategy and why he believes Brickell is going to become the “Wall Street of the South.” This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Bisnow: You arrived in Miami about six months ago. What have you learned so far about the city, and how are you and your family adjusting to your new home? Bott: I arrived in mid-January and so it's been about six months, but I've loved it… Read Full Story  | 
