Why We Bought St John's Wood Portfolio

Manish Gudka | Baptism of Fire to £1bn Deals | People Property Place Podcast

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For many, real estate careers are about steady growth, one sector, one model. But Manish Gudka's story at Aprirose shows what it takes to adapt, survive, and thrive across cycles. From the family soap business in Kenya seeding property investments in the UK, to steering Aprirose through the Global Financial Crisis and beyond, this is a journey about resilience, reinvention, and family values.

In this episode, Manish reflects on his baptism of fire managing 14 tenants in Manchester, the hard lessons from 2007–09, and what it's like building a £1bn platform side-by-side with his 84-year-old father, who still takes the Tube into the office. We talk candidly about capital raising, investor trust, and why Aprirose has deliberately resisted the blind-pool fund model in favour of long-term deal-by-deal partnerships.

This is a rare, wide-ranging conversation with a CEO who rarely speaks publicly — packed with insights on markets, leadership, and the realities of running a family-backed platform.

Key Topics Covered In This Episode:

✅ Baptism of Fire – What a 14-tenant Manchester property taught him early in his career

✅ Cycles & Crises – How the 2007–09 crash reshaped Aprirose's strategy

✅ Investor Trust – Why transparency and alignment matter more than structures

✅ Family & Leadership – What it's really like working with his father every day

✅ Capital Raising – The deal-by-deal approach and why Aprirose never launched a blind pool fund

✅ Resilience – The mindset needed to firefight tenants, banks, and downturns

✅ Growth Vision – Where Aprirose sees opportunity in the next decade

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? Don't miss Manish's answer in this episode!

Got any thoughts or questions about this podcast? Feel free to share them in the comments, I'm always up for a chat!

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