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

Nov 3, 2025

Will Rowson, founder of Newland Capital Partners, is a seasoned real estate expert with over 35 years in the industry. He shares his journey from East London to leading significant investments in Europe. Will discusses the importance of adaptability through market cycles and shares personal insights from his battle with cancer, which reshaped his leadership approach. He highlights lucrative opportunities in the living and logistics sectors and stresses the need for mid-sized fund managers to innovate or consolidate. Will also reflects on the evolving investor landscape post-COVID.

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ANECDOTE

From Medicine Ambition To Property Roots

Will Rowson entered real estate after aiming for medicine and following his father's advice to join property for a balanced life.
He learned valuation and industrial leasing early, which later underpinned his investment career.

ADVICE

Leave If You Stop Learning

If you stop learning in your role, change role or job to avoid stagnation.
Weigh the risks and rewards before you move, but act when growth stalls.

ANECDOTE

Cancer Diagnosis That Changed Priorities

Will describes a prostate cancer diagnosis in his late 30s and the radical prostatectomy that followed.
The experience strengthened friendships and taught him the value of support from family and employers.

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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.

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