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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