Sector · Real Estate & Property
Real estate and property executive search.
Retained search for real estate investment managers, developers, REITs, property companies and family-office-adjacent property vehicles.
Industry insight
Understanding the landscape.
Investment, development and operational leadership are three distinct pools
The strongest real estate executives typically specialise in one of investment management, development, or operational property management. The candidate pool for each is largely non-overlapping, and boards that write a single “real estate director” brief often end up with a slower search and a compromised shortlist.
ESG has moved from optional to structural
Every major real estate mandate now involves an ESG conversation — TCFD reporting, EPC requirements, embodied-carbon in development, and (in institutional investment) LP-facing ESG commitments. Candidates without genuine ESG fluency are increasingly screened out at first interview.
Alternative sectors are the growth story
Traditional office, retail and industrial appointments have slowed. The growth in senior real estate hiring is in living sectors (build-to-rent, PBSA, later living), life-sciences real estate, data centres, and logistics. Candidates with genuine experience in these alternative sectors are commanding a premium.
International capital, UK-based operations
Senior UK real estate appointments increasingly come from international candidate pools — particularly for investment management and development leadership serving Middle Eastern, Asian and North American capital.
Roles we recruit
Senior appointments across the sector.
We recruit across seniority levels, from senior specialists to board-level appointments.
- Managing Director / Chief Executive (Real Estate)
- Head of Investment / Investment Director
- Head of Development / Development Director
- Head of Asset Management
- Head of Fund Management
- Chief Sustainability Officer / Head of ESG
- Head of Living Sectors (BTR / PBSA / Later Living)
- Head of Life Sciences Real Estate
- Head of Logistics / Industrial
- Head of Portfolio Management
Why work with us
Retained, senior-partner-led, sector-fluent.
- Sector fluency: We understand the distinct commercial models of investment management, development, and operational property companies, and calibrate briefs accordingly.
- Alternative-sectors experience: Our recent mandates concentrate in the growth areas — living sectors, life sciences real estate, data centres and logistics.
- International reach: Many senior UK real estate mandates draw candidates internationally, particularly from the Middle East, Asia and North America.
- Retained and senior-partner-led: Every mandate is owned end-to-end by a named partner.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do you handle real estate investment management CEO searches specifically?
Yes. Investment management leadership is a distinct specialism within real estate. Candidate pools include sitting investment MDs at comparable managers, senior fund managers ready for CEO step-up, and Deputy CIOs from adjacent institutional investors.
Can you support development director searches for major schemes?
Yes. Development Director appointments for major schemes (£100m+ enterprise value) are handled as retained mandates. The candidate pool is small and heavily networked.
How do you handle candidates with international property experience?
Where a mandate calls for international experience (Middle Eastern capital deployment, US institutional capital, Asian family-office real estate), we run the search across international candidate pools and coordinate relocation, visa and compensation structures.
Do you recruit for family-office property vehicles?
Yes. Family-office property vehicles (single family offices with substantial direct property portfolios) sit at the intersection of our Real Estate practice and our Private Client & Family Office practice, and are handled with the same discretion as our UHNW mandates.
How long does a real estate search take?
Twelve to sixteen weeks brief to accepted offer is typical. Board-level searches involving investor consultation can run longer.
Discuss a mandate