In this episode, I sat down with Jermaine Browne - co-founder of Re:shape Living Group and Ark Co-Living - to unpack his journey from urban sociology student to becoming one of the UK's leading voices in co-living, regeneration and alternative living.

If you're interested in planning, entrepreneurial grit, urban renewal or the business of building places where people actually want to live, this is essential listening.

Key Topics Covered In This Episode:

· How early exposure to regeneration shaped his purpose

· Breaking into the real estate industry

· Lessons from a decade in public sector planning roles

· Co-founding Re:shape Living, during Covid and how he financed the business

· How he leveraged partnerships with trusted consultants

· How Ark Wembley became their proof of concept in co-living

· Building a team, and moving from a founder-led to an institutional-ready business

· Why he has such a clear focus on delivering policy-compliant affordable housing

· Practical advice for breaking into real estate from non-traditional backgrounds

And finally…

With £500m to invest – which People, what Property, and which Place would he choose?

Jermaine shares his answer, focused on housing delivery, backing next-gen founders, and building the homes people need today.

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The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne – Giving Real Estate Investors, a difficult choice who to hire.

If you're serious about adding game-changing talent in 2025 and are open to doing it differently, DM me on LinkedIn.

In this episode, I sit down with Sir David Michels (the first Sir on the pod!) – former CEO of Hilton, Deputy Chairman of Marks & Spencer, and Non-Executive Director at British Land and EasyJet – to explore his stellar corporate and non-executive career.

If you're interested in leadership, decision-making and the realities of running capital-intensive businesses, this conversation offers direct insight from someone who's done it at the highest level.

Key Topics Covered In This Episode:

· From school dropout, waiting tables to building one of the most impressive corporate CV's

· Brilliant basics - why asking questions, listening and understanding people has shaped his approach to leadership

· International Growth - Taking UK hotels to the US market

· Turning Around Stakis - Navigating a multi-bank restructure involing 27 parties

· Hilton & Ladbrokes - Managing global brands, major acquisitions and the shift from owner to flag

· Real Estate vs. Operations - Why hotel ownership carries more risk than many investors realise

· Life as a Non-Exec - The role of the board, the CEO relationship, and where governance adds value

· Michels & Taylor - Building a hotel advisory and management business

· Career Perspective - On luck, pressure, regrets, and how success evolves over time

And finally...

With £500m to invest - which People, what Property, and which Place would he choose?

Sir David shares his answer, shaped by decades in hospitality and a long-term view on real estate value.

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The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne – Recruiting Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers.

Sue Clayton - Senior Independent Advisor & Non Exec

How do you stay at the top of your game across four decades in commercial real estate?

In this episode, I sit down with Sue Clayton, former Managing Director of Capital Markets at CBRE, board member, investor, adviser, and Co-Founder of Real Estate Balance - to break down a career built on trust, consistency, and integrity.

We cover how Sue rose through the ranks in a male-dominated industry, her approach to building long-term client relationships, and how she transitioned into a successful portfolio career after leaving CBRE.

Sue shares what it was like advising on billions of pounds of transactions, her board experience with companies like SEGRO, Blue Coast Capital and Helical, and why she's passionate about driving greater inclusion across the industry.

If you care about leadership, longevity, and building trust this episode is for you.

Key Topics Covered In This Episode:

* A 40-Year Career In Commercial Real Estate – From graduate at Richard Ellis to international CBRE board member.

* Building Trust in Brokerage – How she built a reputation through discretion, detail, and doing the right thing.

* Building CBRE Capital Markets – What it took to lead during mergers, acquisitions, and global expansion.

* Leadership Lessons – How to manage people, politics, and priorities

Why saying "no" to a deal can build more credibility than chasing fees.

* Transitioning to Board Roles – The skills and mindset shift needed to go from operator to advisor.

* What makes an effective Non-Exec in today's market.

* Supporting the Next Generation – The story behind Real Estate Balance and Pathways to Property.

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 Sue's answer - especially if you're interested in long-term value and social impact.

Got any thoughts or questions about this podcast? Drop them in the comments, I'd love to hear from you.

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The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne – Recruiting Leadership & Future Leadership hires for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers.

#realestate #property #nonexec #advisory

Alastair Mullens is Managing Director - Residential at Canary Wharf Group. He joined the business in 2018 to establish the group's Build-to-Rent platform, Vertus. He now oversees all the residential functions at Canary Wharf.

Prior to this he spent nine years with Hamptons International & Countrywide Group based in London and Hong Kong, working across residential management, leasing, and development.

I sat down with Alastair to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics:

• Alistair's entry into real estate and early career steps, including his move to Hong Kong
• What drew him to Canary Wharf Group and the scale of the challenge
• Do people REALLY want to live and work in Canary Wharf?
• How CWG is evolving into a live, work play, fully mixed-use, 24/7 neighbourhood
• Rethinking residential: his views on product design, amenity relevance, and market alignment
• Why 'Vertus' and vertical integration matters - and how it shapes delivery, operations, and brand experience
• Plus candid takes on culture, service, execution, and so much more

Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Alistair would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal. Catch the full episode which is live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW!

The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️is powered by Rockbourne - the team build elite teams for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. If you're serious about adding game-changing talent in 2025 and are open to doing it differently - DM me on Linkedin. #peoplepropertyplace #podcast #rockbourne #realestate

Ian Worboys is CEO and Co-Founder of EGLS, a pan-European logistics platform focused on sustainable development.

With 40+ years in real estate, he's led major businesses including P3 Logistic Parks and Panattoni, and is known for building high-performing teams and scaling platforms across Europe.

I sat down with Ian to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics:

· How he got into real estate, his early moves, and how discovering dyslexia later in life shaped his approach.

· Lessons from navigating the highs and lows of a long corporate career

· How personal loss drove him to become a book author.

· Why timing and conviction has led to launching EGLS, and why now presents a rare market opportunity

· How he raised capital, built alignment with backers, and assembled a high-performance pan European team at EGLS

· EGLS three clear strategies: new development, retrofitting existing assets, and urban aggregation.

· Whether you're a property developer, investor, or just curious, this episode is packed with insight and inspiration.

Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Ian would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal. Catch the full episode which is live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW!

The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️is powered by Rockbourne - the team build elite teams for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. If you're serious about adding game-changing talent in 2025 and are open to doing it differently - DM me on Linkedin. #peoplepropertyplace #podcast #rockbourne #realestate

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!

The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ powered by Rockbourne - the team build elite teams for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers.

Subscribe for more episodes on real estate, development, and the leaders shaping the built environment.

#BuildToRent #RealEstateDevelopment #PropertyPodcast #UrbanRegeneration #CoLiving #HUBLondon #PeoplePropertyPlace

​​Carlo Matta is the CEO of Nido Living, a leading European student accommodation platform, where he drives growth and oversees delivery across the portfolio.

He previously led CA Ventures' pan-European PBSA business, managing development, acquisitions, and operations and has held roles at Actis, Hines Europe, and he brings over 25 years of international real estate experience across Europe, the US, and emerging markets.

Carlo is a qualified architect and holds degrees from Politecnico di Torino and the University of Texas at Austin.

I sat down with Carlo, to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics:

• How he got into real estate and his early life + perspectives
• Formative, early career moves & the transition from architecture to developer
• Returning to university at 34 years old – taking a step back, to leap forward
• Staying curious and building team cultures focused on fun and learning
• Exploring the drivers that influence product design & amenity level within an asset
• Matching return expectations to risk
• Building a top-tier, international team
• Creating, not waiting for opportunity and the importance of standing out
• Having the courage to know when to pivot, and change tact
• Nido – and the road to 25,000 beds by 2031.

Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Carlo would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal. Catch the full episode which is live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW! The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ powered by Rockbourne - the team build elite teams for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers. #realestate #privateequity #property

Simon Cooke is a founding shareholder and board member of Catella APAM, with over 40 years of experience in UK commercial real estate. He co-founded APAM in 2009 and he chairs the Investment Committee and shapes strategy, asset management, and client relationships.

Simon recently launched the firm's first listed equities fund, securing £102.2 million to target undervalued UK-listed property companies.

His background includes senior roles at Deutsche Asset Management, Close Brothers' and CBRE giving him deep insight into both public and private markets.

I sat down with Simon, to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics:

· Early career steps, Rugby and what drew him into a career in real estate

· The story behind the name "APAM"

· The value of focusing on your strengths and staying in your lane

· Starting APAM by capitalising on distressed and receivership opportunities during the GFC

· Evolving the model to partner with international private equity, by providing asset-level expertise

· How he and Will built, scaled, and reasons for part exiting to Catella

· Structuring JV's with partners, and aligning incentives

· Choosing the right opportunities over chasing sector trends

· Balancing personal circumstances with professional ambitions

· Why now is the right moment to launch a UK equity fund

Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Simon would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal.

Catch the full episode which is live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW!

The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ powered by Rockbourne - the team build elite teams for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers.

#realestate #privateequity #property #assetmanager

​​ OUT NOW – Michael Kovacs, Founding Partner at Castleforge, a research-based, thematic, vertically integrated real estate investor, investing in the UK and Europe on behalf of pension funds, institutions and individuals, sits down with me on the People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ this week.

Prior to founding Castleforge in 2010, Michael worked at Westbrook Partners in London, where he was involved in transactions representing over £2bn of asset value for Westbrook's various funds in the UK, Europe and Asia across a diverse range of real estate investment types. Prior to Westbrook Partners, Michael worked at the Blackstone Group in New York. Michael graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. I sat down with Michael, to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics:

• How he got into real estate and his early career steps • How getting stuck in a lift triggered the start of setting up a business • Evolving the business from advisory mandates to, co investing on deals, and then raising discretionary funds • Evolution of the office market and where the opportunity sits • Why vertical integration mattered in building Castleforge • The disconnect between occupier demand and investor sentiment relating to offices • Asia and the Middle East, capital raising pivot • Fundraising challenges - why raising Fund 4 has been tougher than the debut fund • Datacentre exploration, and debut deal

Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Michael would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal.

Catch the full episode which is live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW!

The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ powered by Rockbourne - the team build elite teams for Real Estate Funds, Owners, Investors & Developers.

#realestate #privateequity #property

Piers Slater is the Founder & CEO of Reef Origin with over two decades of experience building and scaling real estate platforms.

After founding Reef Estates in 2001 (trading as Reef Group from 2017), he grew the business to over £2bn under development management.

In 2024, he co-founded Reef Origin, focusing on sectors at the intersection of real assets and innovation - life sciences, Industry 4.0, digital, energy infrastructure, and venture capital - with a completed portfolio value exceeding £20bn under development management.

Piers holds a BSc in Estate Management and an MSc in Property Investment Finance, and is a Chartered Surveyor. He is also a founding investor and board director of Global Space Futures, Perpetual Atomics, and Xange.com, and sits on the boards of Didcot First and the Stevenage Development Board.

I sat down with Piers to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics: • Early career moves and how he got into real estate • Borrowing £50,000 from his father-in-law to set up Reef Origin • Building Reef Estates with a bucket load of naïve optimism, entrepreneurial spirit, and creativity • Transitioning the business from Reef Estates to Reef Origin – why, how & future ambitions • Owning the whole value chain & the strategic reasoning behind vertically integrating the business • Circular economy, climate, digital infrastructure, automation, AI & ML • Perspective on the current economic and political landscape - Is the UK economy anti-growth? • Diversification, international expansion, and current opportunity set • Decarbonisation, industrial strategy, and the role of nuclear energy as an economic driver • Future-proofing the built environment and reimagining real estate • Reef's £100bn enterprise value ambition

Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Piers would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal.

Catch the full episode which is 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. 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 seven 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