

People Property Place
Matthew Watts
Interviewing the leaders shaping the real estate investment management industry. Hosted by Matthew Watts, Founder of Rockbourne.
The central intention of this podcast is to share the stories, views, opinions, and career journeys of the movers, shakers, innovators, and leaders in the real estate investment management industry.
Whether you are an existing real estate professional, aspiring to break into the space, or just want to know more about this fascinating sector this podcast is for you.
New episodes of The People Property Place Podcast will be released regularly and you will be able to find them for free on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or any App that supports podcasts.
Oh, and one last thing - in every episode, I will be asking each guest who are the People, what Property, and which Place they would be looking to invest, should they have £500m at their disposal.
www.rockbourne.com
The central intention of this podcast is to share the stories, views, opinions, and career journeys of the movers, shakers, innovators, and leaders in the real estate investment management industry.
Whether you are an existing real estate professional, aspiring to break into the space, or just want to know more about this fascinating sector this podcast is for you.
New episodes of The People Property Place Podcast will be released regularly and you will be able to find them for free on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or any App that supports podcasts.
Oh, and one last thing - in every episode, I will be asking each guest who are the People, what Property, and which Place they would be looking to invest, should they have £500m at their disposal.
www.rockbourne.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 6, 2025 • 1h 3min
#115 Peter Clayton, Property Finance at Leumi UK
Peter Clayton leads Property Finance at Leumi UK, bringing nearly 20 years of real estate finance experience. Since joining in 2021, he has worked across all property sectors with a range of borrowers, from entrepreneurs to institutional investors and has dramatically expanded the firm's lending book, team size and capability. Previously, Peter held senior roles at Lloyds Banking Group and Santander UK. A Durham University Geography graduate, he started his career in the wine industry before transitioning to the real estate space. I sat down with Peter to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics: Early career moves, reasons and learnings The role of clearing banks and their function and relevance in property finance. Understanding the cost of capitals impact on real estate finance and investment decisions. How Peter and the team have driven significant growth since joining Leumi Leumi’s USP – In an increasingly noisy market, how Leumi stand out The use of debt brokers and how they add value in structuring deals. Underwriting assets & sponsors - assessing credibility, business plans, and long-term viability. Why overlooked sectors like retail can still present strong opportunities for contrarian investors Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Peter would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal. Catch the full episode which will is live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW! If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Rod Lochart - CEO LendInvest Ian Marcus - Senior Advisor Eastdill Secured James Lock - Founder Rotation Real Estate Catherine Webster - CEO Thriving Investments Richard Croft - Founder Martley Capital The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ powered by Rockbourne - the team recruit Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. See below a snap shot of some of the projects the team have completed: Built a full development team from scratch for an international developer launching a new platform in the UK. Completed a search for a COO/MD succession role, the most critical hire for a founder preparing for retirement within the next five years. Successfully placed six professionals across finance, development, and investment for a well-capitalised, active value investor. Successfully placed our 8th team member into a 12-person challenger brand - now that's a true partnership in action! Assembled a three-person investment team for an active residential investor and developer. Recruited a Head of Financial Modelling for a top investor/developer to enhance modelling, reporting, and decision-making to aid capital raising & deployment efforts. Struggling to hire top talent? Think there’s a better way? Get in touch to see if we can help. #peoplepropertyplace #podcast #rockbourne #realestate

15 snips
Feb 27, 2025 • 1h 8min
#114 James Scott, Co Founder and COO of Stories
In this engaging conversation, James Scott, Co-founder and COO of Stories, shares his unique journey from mechanical engineering at Cambridge to leading a purpose-driven property development company. He highlights the importance of aligning capital partners with community needs, emphasizing social and environmental impacts alongside profits. James also discusses the challenges of securing funding for socially responsible projects and the significance of grassroots initiatives. His insights on empowering careers in real estate offer invaluable advice for aspiring professionals in the industry.

Feb 20, 2025 • 57min
#113 - Chris Hunt, Co-Founder & Director at V7 (RECAP)
Chris Hunt, Co-Founder of V7 joins me on the People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ this week for a rerun. Chris is hilarious, and his passion for the business, team, work and clients really shines through in this conversation. I sat down with Chris back in 2023, and this episode was the first released on video, so go check it out on Youtube! V7 is a creative and forward-thinking asset and development management company, passionate about transforming mismanaged office buildings or sites into dynamic, highly sustainable service-led workspaces. Working with partners including institutional funds, family offices, private equity, and individual investors V7 add value to buildings by repositioning them in line with the very latest workplace trends and ESG credentials. Chris set the business up in 2015 alongside his co-founder Zak Veasey having worked at Cushman & Wakefield and Legal & General Investment Management. Chris is responsible for development management and investment day to day, and then V7’s business strategy, new concepts, marketing and growth. I sat down with Chris to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics: How he got into Real Estate Recto fit Carbon offsetting Building Certification Business model evolution "Fight to quality" and "Hotelification of Offices" Strengths-based leadership Oh, and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Chris would invest should he have £500m of equity at his disposal? Catch the full episode which will be live on Spotify and Apple from Thursday this week. The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne. Who do you want to see on the Podcast? Normal service on the pod will resume shortly (subject to no diary changes!)

Feb 13, 2025 • 1h 12min
#112 Richard Croft CEO of Martley Capital Group (ROUND 2)
Richard Croft CEO of Martley Capital Group joins me on the People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ for ROUND 2. The first conversation I had with Richard, according to the stats, is the second most popular PPP episode to date... So, 11 months on from our first conversation I sat down with Richard to get the inside scoop on what the team have been working on, as well as his take on the current market... We spoke about: * His Predictions, Successes and Failures. * What does a Trump Presidency mean for UK real estate investment? * Real Estate Fractionalisation - different this time? * Is the Shed comeback on the cards? * Interest rates, inflation and a potential Real Estate Goldilocks situation? * The DEI & ESG agenda * Real Estate AI adoption and application * How HARD has this market actually been... * Of course, UK politics... And so much more... Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Richard would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal. Catch the full episode which is live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW! Links below in comments 👇🏻 The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ powered by Rockbourne - the team recruit Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. #realestate #podcast #property #privateequity #peoplepropertyplace

Feb 6, 2025 • 1h 18min
#111 - Hugh Macdonald Brown, Co-Founder and CEO of Roebuck (RECAP)
Hugh Macdonald-Brown – Co-Founder & CEO of Roebuck joins me on the People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ this week for our re-released conversation. Hugh, or Macca, or 'Legend' as he goes by in our office, is full of energy and shares the realities of leaving a corporate job and setting out on the entrepreneurial path. Plenty of wins, but it hasn't been all smooth sailing... Hands down one of my favourite episodes to date, and the stats don't lie either - you loved it first time around too! Recorded in June 23, if you missed it then, be sure to check it out on your run, office commute or asset tour. Roebuck is an an institutional grade pan-European real estate logistics investor who identify and create investment strategies across the risk spectrum, including core, core + and value add. Their current portfolio spans 7 countries, with more than 100 assets and a value in excess of €2.6bn. Hugh is a graduate of Cass Business School (now Bayes) and started his career at BNP Paribas – he has since transacted more than €3.25bn within the logistics sector and has key relationships with the key investors, occupiers, developers and lenders in all of Roebucks target markets. I sat down with Hugh to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics: How he got into real estate Why he set up Roebuck The reality of starting a business Institutionalising the business IOS – Industrial Open Storage Growth plans And so much more... Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Hugh would invest should he have £500m of equity at his disposal. Out NOW wherever you get your podcasts. The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️is powered by Rockbourne - the team recruit Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. #realestate #podcast #property #privateequity #peoplepropertyplace

Jan 30, 2025 • 57min
#110 - Catherine Webster - CEO of Thriving Investments (RECAP)
We think that this interview with Catherine was so good that we wanted to run it again to make sure you didn't miss it the first tome round! Formerly known as PfP Capital, Thriving Investments is a leading fund manager with a social conscience. The business already manages three living strategies totalling £700m and so far it has acquired and delivered 3,500 private rented sector and for-sale homes and has six regeneration projects under way, as it targets 20,000 homes over the next decade. Prior to joining Thriving Investments Catherine was an Executive Director – Strategy & Investment at Quintain and has previously held roles at Hudson Advisors and Lehman Brothers among others. Catherine has an MBA from INSEAD and is a graduate of the University of Reading. I sat down with Catherine to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics: * How she got into real estate * Working across surveying, banking & private equity * Not being afraid to take a backward / sideways career move * Skill stacking * Turning capital wins into community gains * Advice for those early in their career * Building 20,000 homes in the next decade Oh, and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place would Catherine invest should she have £500m of capital at her disposal. Catch the full episode which will be live on Spotify, Apple and Youtube NOW! The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne Who do you want to see on the Podcast? Link in the comments below 👇🏻 #podcast #realestate #property #peoplepropertyplace Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6oCDnwWSTP685l6sn8F0a6 Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/people-property-place/id1652694140 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLugt7vb7tPvbp_im8m7PoAq4U0mG3TeYR Podcast produced and edited by Matt Cook at https://mattcookproducer.com

Jan 23, 2025 • 1h 5min
#109 Samantha Kempe, Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer at IMMO
Samantha Kempe is the Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer at IMMO. She has c.20 years of real estate experience across private equity and corporate finance at Blackstone, PwC and Cushman & Wakefield. Her real estate acumen focuses on capital raising, acquisitions, portfolio management and the execution of both value-add asset management and workout strategies of direct real estate, and real estate loans for institutional investors. Sam is a Chartered Surveyor, MRICS in Real Estate Finance and Investment, and holds an MSc in Real Estate Investment (Distinction) and an MBA from London Business School. I sat down with Sam to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics: Her unexpected journey into the real estate industry Key early career moves and pivotal experiences that shaped her path Why she set up IMMO, having undertaken an MBA The IMMO business model & competitive edge Building proprietary tech to power each part of the real estate investment management value chain Navigating the challenges of raising both VC capital and “real estate” capital Attracting top talent: challenges faced, lessons learned, and strategies for success New-build residential vs. retrofit European vs US market & size of the opportunity Identifying the current opportunity landscape in real estate Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Sam would invest should she have £500m of capital at her disposal. Catch the full episode which will be live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW! The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ powered by Rockbourne - the team recruit Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. Who do you want to see on the Podcast? #peoplepropertyplace #podcast #rockbourne #realestate

Jan 16, 2025 • 1h 2min
#108 Ryan Prince, Vice Chairman Realstar Group & Founder UNCLE
Ryan Prince established Realstar's UK operation in 2002 and since this time the company has acquired and developed over £3B of assets, including a portfolio of 73 Holiday Inn hotels comprising of 13,000 rooms, over 6,000 rental residential and student accommodation assets and a national portfolio of primary healthcare centres. Most recently the company has created UNCLE - a new kind of rental housing brand. Rated #1 on Trust Pilot in the UK, UNCLE’'s mission is to offer 'renting as it should be'. From a standing start in 2017, UNCLE now has 12 locations open and under construction in London, Leeds and Manchester and through its joint venture with QuadReal, is seeking to at least double in size of the next 3-5 years. I sat down with Ryan to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics: Early career moves & reason for moving to the UK Ditching venture and how he got into the real estate game His first real estate deal, and how he got the UK business off the ground Scaling Realstar to a £3bn 5000 unit UK business Ryan’s ‘strategyless’ approach to business Views on the UK housing targets & government Importance of brand in a commoditised world and the creation of UNCLE Approach to raising, and retaining capital partners Advice for those wanting to set up your own business Current market trends Future growth plans Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Ryan would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal. Catch the full episode which will be live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW! The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ is powered by Rockbourne - the team recruit Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. #realestate #podcast #peoplepropertyplace #property

Jan 9, 2025 • 1h 2min
#107 Iyngaran Muniandy, Head of Europe at Clear Sky Capital
Iyngaran joined Clear Sky in late 2023 and serves as Head of Europe. He has 15 years of experience in both equity and structured finance across traditional and operational real estate. Prior to joining Clear Sky Capital, Iyngaran deployed over $3B worth of capital across Europe, APAC and US at prior firm, Macquarie Principal Finance. Previous to that, he was an Associate at Greenhill & Co and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young whilst working in their Restructuring division. I sat down with Iyngaran to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics: · Early career journey and the pivotal skills gained along the way · How he got into real estate sector · The nuances and discipline of balance sheet investing · Insights into principal investing vs investment management · The story behind Clear Sky Capital and how he joined · Opportunity set in the UK & European self-storage market · Strategic advantages of a vertically integrated business model · Why backing sectors with strong tailwinds often trumps contrarian investing · Why twice a year, he works as a receptionist in store. · Key skills top tier investors need to learn · Current market trends and his perspective on today’s real estate landscape Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Iyngaran would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal. Catch the full episode which will be live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW! The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne - the team recruit Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. Who do you want to see on the Podcast?

Jan 2, 2025 • 1h 4min
#106 Guy Horne, Co-Founder & CEO of HSPG
Guy co-founded HSPG in 2015 to provide high-quality accommodation for vulnerable people. As CEO, he leads fundraising and acquisitions, overseeing over £500m in investments in UK affordable housing. With a background as a Sales Analyst at RBS and launching Europe’s first digital property crowdfunding platform, Guy is a passionate entrepreneur focused on ventures with social impact. He holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Nottingham and has studied Real Estate Finance at MIT and completed an Executive MBA at Harvard Business School. I sat down with Guy to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics: Breaking into real estate and scaling HSPG into an institutional-grade investment platform. Hiring, retaining, and developing top talent. Tackling affordable housing and homelessness through initiatives like Homeless Affordable Rent and Project Westminster, delivering 2,000 units in London. Partnering with institutional capital to create inflation-linked, long-term cashflows while delivering social impact. Lessons from scaling, "failing forward," and navigating challenges. Personal growth through music, yoga, and breathwork. Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Guy would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal. Catch the full episode which will be live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW! The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne - the team recruit Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. Who do you want to see on the Podcast?