Episode 122 — Damien Sharkey, Managing Director at HUB
In this episode of People Property Place, we sit down with Damien Sharkey, Managing Director at HUB, to unpack how he rose from a family joinery workshop in rural Ireland to leading one of the UK’s most forward-thinking development firms.
We dive deep into:
- The evolution of Build-to-Rent (BTR) in the UK
- HUB’s strategy behind converting “stranded assets” into thriving co-living spaces
- Navigating development in today’s challenging economic climate
- How architecture, business acumen, and grit shaped Damien’s path to the top
- The DNA of a future-ready development team
Whether you’re a property developer, architect, investor, or just curious about the real workings of urban regeneration and institutional residential, this episode is packed with insight and inspiration.
Key Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro & Damien’s early influences
05:00 – From architecture to real estate
12:30 – Breaking into BTR
20:45 – The co-living shift
32:00 – Managing risk in uncertain markets
40:15 – Building high-performance development teams
48:00 – HUB’s “People, Planet, Progress” framework
54:30 – Advice for future developers
Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Damien would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal.
Catch the full episode which is live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW!
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