People Property Place

What happens when billions of pounds of pension money flow into real estate? Can creative deal structures solve the UK’s housing and regeneration challenges in a high-rate environment? This week, I sat down with James Agar, Head of Real Estate Origination at PIC Capital, the investment arm of Pension Insurance Corporation plc, to unpack how institutional capital is reshaping housing, regeneration, and long-income strategies across the UK. James takes us inside PIC’s £50bn balance sheet and explains how his team sources, structures, and deploys capital across Build to Rent, affordable housing, senior living, and major regeneration schemes like Miller’s Quay. We discuss how regeneration leases and innovative financing models are unlocking projects, how ESG and social value are being embedded into institutional strategies, and why the lines between real estate and infrastructure are blurring faster than ever.   Key Topics Covered In This Episode: ✅ Institutional Capital in Action – How PIC invests £50bn into long-term, inflation-linked real estate ✅ Regeneration Leases – Creative structures unlocking major housing and urban projects ✅ Affordable Housing – Partnerships with Homes England and Muse to deliver low-carbon schemes ✅ BTR & Living Sectors – Why single-family housing and suburban BTR are key growth areas ✅ Viability Challenges – Making deals stack in a high interest rate world ✅ ESG & Social Value – How PIC aligns pension liabilities with real-world impact ✅ Real Estate vs Infrastructure – The blurring lines shaping future investment strategies   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? James’s answer did not disappoint 👌 Got any thoughts or questions about this podcast? Feel free to share them in the comments — I’m always up for a chat! And if you’re enjoying what I’m putting out, don’t forget to hit subscribe and turn on the notification bell so you’ll never miss an episode. The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne – Recruiting Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers.   🔊 LIKE ➡ SHARE ➡ SUBSCRIBE 👉 http://peoplepropertyplace.com/

Manish Gudka | Baptism of Fire to £1bn Deals | People Property Place Podcast Subscribe To My Channel For More Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLeY7xnoJ08uYlGb-Y0j96A 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! And if you’re enjoying what I’m putting out, don’t forget to hit subscribe and turn on the notification bell so you’ll never miss out on the next podcast. 🎧 Listen Here: https://linktr.ee/peoplepropertyplace The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne – Recruiting Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. You can also connect with me on social media, I’d love to hear from you there too. Thanks again for hanging out with me! 🔊 LIKE ➡️ SHARE ➡️ SUBSCRIBE https://linktr.ee/peoplepropertyplace

From billion-euro retail deals to leading Europe’s largest apartment hotel operator, and now steering one of the fastest-growing healthcare real estate platforms, Simon Betty’s career has spanned multiple cycles, asset classes, and countries. In this episode, Simon shares how his early career choices set him on a path into retail, how he navigated Hammerson through some of its most challenging moments, and what it was really like to run the €2.5B Project Jewel transaction in Ireland. We dive into the lessons he learned leading through the brutality of Covid, why the macro always wins in real estate, and how healthcare has become one of the most thematically supported sectors in Europe today. This is a candid conversation about deals, leadership, and how to thrive in sectors that are built for the future. Key Topics Covered In This Episode: ✅ Project Jewel – Inside the high-stakes €2.5B Ireland loan portfolio acquisition ✅ Retail Realities – The brutal impact of Covid and the £800M rescue rights issue ✅ Macro vs Micro – Why timing beats talent in determining real estate returns ✅ Leadership Lessons – How saying “yes” shaped his career across multiple sectors ✅ Hospitality Shift – What running Adina taught him about operations and culture ✅ Healthcare Growth – Why cure-based facilities are becoming Europe’s next big asset class ✅ The Future – Where capital is heading in European real estate over 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 Simon’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! And if you’re enjoying what I’m putting out, don’t forget to hit subscribe and turn on the notification bell so you’ll never miss out on the next podcast. 🎧 Listen On: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oCDnwWSTP685l6sn8F0a6 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/people-property-place/id1652694140 The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne – Recruiting Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. You can also connect with me on social media, I’d love to hear from you there too. Thanks again for hanging out with me! Subscribe To My Channel For More Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLeY7xnoJ08uYlGb-Y0j96A 🔊 LIKE ➡ SHARE ➡ SUBSCRIBE ► Rockbourne Website: www.rockbourne.com ► PPP Podcast LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/people-property-place-podcast/about/?viewAsMember=true ► Matthew Watts LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-watts-51575a57/ ► Business Enquiries: mwatts@rockbourne.com

Leo Shapland, Chief Executive of the King’s Cross Group, shares insights from his extensive career in real estate. He recalls how the regeneration of Shad Thames inspired him to enter the field. Leo discusses his pivotal roles at Brookfield, Tishman Speyer, and Aviva, reflecting on lessons in capital raising and mixed-use development. He delves into the unique challenges of managing the expansive King’s Cross estate, which attracts 20 million visitors annually, and shares his perspectives on navigating today’s fluctuating market dynamics.

Jay Kwan, Managing Director at QuadReal Property Group, shares his journey from humble beginnings in LA to leading real estate investment across Europe. He discusses navigating capital cycles and the importance of cultural alignment in partnerships. Jay reveals insights on overcoming market uncertainties, sector convictions, and the flexibility of long-term capital. He emphasizes the potential of oversold sectors, mentions the evolving dynamics of retail and office spaces, and highlights the significance of having mentors outside your organization.

James Craig, Co-Founder of Oval Real Estate, shares his entrepreneurial journey in the diversified real estate market. He discusses how he pivoted from surveying to property trading, learning to manage and exit deals across Europe. James highlights the significance of building high-trust partnerships and navigating complex projects, particularly in Birmingham's C Factory revitalization. He provides insights on market dynamics, emphasizes the importance of public-private collaboration, and encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to embrace risks in their ventures.

Kevin Mofid, Head of Industrial & Logistics Research at Savills, joins me on the People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ this week. We discuss his journey into real estate, the evolution of research in the sector, and key insights into the UK and European logistics markets. Kevin shares his data-driven view of market trends, rental growth dynamics, build-to-suit versus existing stock, and the increasing importance of supply-side fundamentals when making investment decisions. If you're active in the industrial or logistics real estate market across the UK & Europe, and you're interested in data-driven decision-making, or the forces shaping demand and supply in the sector, this episode is for you. Key Topics Covered in This Episode: ·       Kevin’s unconventional path into real estate, and his pivotal early career moves ·       The evolution of research from a back-office function to a front-line, strategic, in demand tool ·       What the UK logistics data is really showing, and why build-to-suit deals are under pressure ·       Rising vacancy in a market with strong demand, and what that disconnect tells us ·       Speculative development trends, and how they’re shaping short-term supply risks ·       Why second-hand stock is growing fast, and how much of it is actually usable ·       The real drivers of industrial demand, and why retail still dominates ·       Nearshoring, reshoring, and how they are reshaping long-term European strategy ·       Rental growth that’s defying historic vacancy relationships, and why ·       The evolving role of AI in warehousing and supply chain decision-making ·       Why smart investors are prioritising supply-side data over demand forecasts ·       Kevin’s take on the biggest risk facing the sector today, and the data point he’s watching most closely Enjoying the show? Follow and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode. The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ is powered by Rockbourne: Giving real estate investors a difficult choice, who to hire. If you're serious about hiring top real estate talent in 2025 and want to do it differently, DM me on LinkedIn. #realestate #property #podcast #logistics #data #industrial

Philip Stott, Co-Founder of Caisson IO, joins me on the People Property Place Podcast this week. We discuss his early career journey to co-founding Caisson IO, a boutique investment management firm that integrates data and technology to, invest and manage multi-let industrial assets across the UK. Philip shares valuable insights on the role of data in real estate, building a tech-enabled investment platform, and how their approach to asset management has evolved. If you're interested in real estate investment management, data-driven strategies, or scaling a specialised platform in the industrial sector, this episode is for you.   Key Topics Covered in This Episode: ·   Early exposure to real estate and how Philip’s family business influenced his entrepreneurial mindset ·   How Philip’s career evolved from traditional surveying to tech sales and then pivoting into investment management ·   Insights from his experience at Yardi, including building their European platform and understanding financial systems and applying this learing to the investment management space ·   How they launched the business - raising capital from friends and family ·   How data-driven insights help Caisson IO identify market trends and opportunities in multi-let industrial assets ·   The resilience and appeal of multi-let industrial assets as a stable income-generating asset class ·   Building a strong, collaborative team and fostering a culture of empowerment for business growth ·   Caisson IO’s plans for future growth, leveraging specialixed expertise and data-backed strategies   And finally... With £500m to invest, which People, what Property, and which Place would Philip choose? Enjoying the show? Follow and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode. The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ is powered by Rockbourne: Giving real estate investors a difficult choice, who to hire. If you're serious about hiring top real estate talent in 2025 and want to do it differently, DM me on LinkedIn.

Philip Gadsden, Managing Partner at Orchard Street Investment Management, brings over 40 years of real estate expertise. He shares insights into his journey from corporate roles to founding Gatehouse. The discussion dives into impact investing, emphasizing the shift toward ESG and decarbonization. Philip highlights the importance of shorter leases, active management, and future-proofing second-hand assets. With £500m to invest, he reflects on strategic choices in the evolving property landscape, showcasing the exciting opportunities in sustainable and residential markets.

Marcus Meijer, the Founder and CEO of MARK, dives into his journey in real estate, shaped by a family legacy and experiences at Goldman Sachs. He shares insights on platform creation and market timing, emphasizing the shift towards sector-specific investments. Topics include the success behind building VR Outlets into a €1bn platform, navigating challenges in mid-market investments, and opportunities in urban logistics. Meijer also discusses his vision for the future of real estate and what legacy and success mean to him.