Send us a text

What next for office leasing? With Jon Dweck, Founder of Space32, a leading office flexspace marketplace and Anna Clare Harper.

Jon Dweck, Founder of Space32, a leading office flexspace marketplace joined me on the podcast to discuss how flexible office space is evolving, from location choice to days per week. 

Highlights include:

• The extent to which office demand has fallen
• The future of the office sector - from flex space to Build to Rent conversions
• What businesses paid for in the last 12 months, including less time in the office, and higher quality
• Shaking up the office leasing sector with a new marketplace

Guest website: https://www.space32.com/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathandweck/

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Host website: greenresi.com

Send us a text

Understanding customers and using tech for effective asset maintenance with UK Managing Director of Aareon Group and FixFlo Co-Founder, Rajeev Nayyar and Anna Clare Harper.

In Anna's words:

I chatted with the wonderful Rajeev Nayyar, UK Managing Director of Aareon Group (the largest property management software group in the UK, including Arthur, FixFlo and Aereon UK) and Co-Founder of FixFlo, the leading repairs and maintenance software used for more than 1 million properties in the UK. 

Highlights include:

• The late shift to focusing on customer wants and needs in real estate
• The three types of asset maintenance, and how tech can be used to make them smoother across dispersed portfolios
• The future of AI and IOT in real estate 

Guest website: https://www.aareon.co.uk/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeev-nayyar-19616155/

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Host website: greenresi.com

Send us a text

£100m investment in socially responsible development with Paul Clark, Stories Co-founder & CIO, Sophie White, Sector Head for Regeneration at Aviva Capital Partners and Anna Clare Harper.

In Anna's words:

I really enjoyed chatting with Paul Clark, Stories Co-founder & CIO, Sophie White, Sector Head for Regeneration at Aviva Capital Partners about their £100m joint venture in purposeful, socially responsible development. 

Some highlights included:

• Measuring social responsibility 
• Using the right capital for long term projects 
• How trust and fear really show up in development partnerships

Paul Clark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrichardclark/

Website: https://www.stories.partners/

Sophie White LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-white-89378a30/

Website: https://www.aviva.com/about-us/aviva-capital-partners/

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Host website: greenresi.com 

Send us a text

How technology can help residential investors and managers to make better decisions in 2023-2028 with Anna Clare Harper

In Anna's words:

On the pod this week I talked about what I’ve been working on: a new tool to help residential investors and managers to navigate the current environment, including:

• Current and planned regulations 
• The urgent need to improve the quality and energy efficiency of homes in the UK
• Making better, cheaper, faster decisions at scale.

We’re running pilots with portfolio investors and managers looking to:

• Add value to their portfolios in the current environment and 
• Help solve the urgent social and environmental problems

Please reach out if this is you, and you own/manage a portfolio of (100+) properties or intend to. 

I also shared some thoughts on how tech and data can be used more broadly to help solve the home energy efficiency crisis, and where the limits of software are - since energy efficiency is a ‘hardware’ problem.

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Host website: www.greenresi.com 

Send us a text

Digital property management and maintenance and proptech fundraising in the current climate with David Rae, COO and CFO of Evo and Anna Clare Harper.

In Anna's words:

I really enjoyed chatting with David Rae, the CFO and COO of Evo, a digital property management business managing 5,900 units for clients like British Land, Acorn and Winkworth. 

Some highlights included:

• Using augmented reality video technology to triage maintenance, reducing the cost and environmental impact of maintenance callouts
• Auditing maintenance and repairs, and improving efficiency through property record-keeping
• What it’s really like to raise for proptech companies in the current environment, from valuations down 40% to the facts and figures angel investors and venture capitalists really care about

Guest website: https://evo-pm.com/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drrae/

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Host website: annaclareharper.com

Send us a text

Green skills emergency with Richard Ng, Co-Founder of Greenworkx and Anna Clare Harper talk about the green skills emergency.

In Anna's words:

We discussed:

• How the 500,000 person labour shortage is holding back Net Zero 2050
• What skills are most in demand in retrofitting real estate
• The future of green skills - from funding to tech-enabled learning

Guest website: https://greenworkx.org

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardcrng/

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Host website: annaclareharper.com

Send us a text

Politics and energy efficiency with Liz Peace CBE, former CEO of the British Property Federation, Non-Executive Director and Advisor and Anna Clare Harper.

In Anna's words:

Liz Peace CBE was CEO of the British Property Federation. She specialises in politics, property and the built environment and advises both public and private sector bodies, making her the perfect podcast guest to discuss the politics of energy efficiency in real estate with.

Her roles include as a Non-Executive Director at Howard de Walden Estates and the Connected Places Catapult, as Chair of the GLA’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, the University of Cambridge Property Board, the Churches Conservation Trust and Real Estate Balance.

We discussed:

• The role of central government, local government and communities in improving energy efficiency
• The role of the housing industry in reducing real estate carbon emissions
• The challenge of funding and commercial case for retrofit 

Guest website: https://cp.catapult.org.uk/team/liz-peace-cbe/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-peace-a6b41a16/

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Host website: annaclareharper.com

Send us a text

A vision for the UK housing market with Emma Fletcher, Development Director at Hyde Housing Association and Anna Clare Harper.

In Anna's words:

Following a Cambridge University Land Society and Joseph Rowntree Foundation event on housing policy, Emma Fletcher and I were asked to write a paper detailing a realistic vision for the UK housing market, and what policies could be used to achieve that vision.

Emma is a Development Director at Hyde, a Housing Association responsible for 50,000 homes, and Chair of Swaffham Prior Community Land Trust, which created the first village-wide renewable energy system in the UK.

The paper is being published this week, and includes an overall vision, as well as tenure-specific objectives and policy recommendations. 

Points include:

• The impact of short termism and vested interests on housing market inequalities 
• The problem with focusing on new homes, since 80% of the homes we use in 2050 are already built
• Policy ideas such as how to incentivise downsizing, for reasons including the fact that 3.6 million homes across the country owned by over 65s have at least two spare rooms.

Paper: https://www.culandsoc.com/articles/whitehall-group-whitepaper-on-housing-policy-april-2023-2/ 

Guest website: https://www.hyde-housing.co.uk/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmafletchercambridge/

Host website: annaclareharper.com 

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Send us a text

The UK’s first 30 year fixed rate mortgages with Arjan Verbeek, CEO and Co-Founder of Perenna, a new Danish-style mortgage lender and Anna Clare Harper.

In Anna's words:

I chatted with Arjan Verbeek, CEO and Co-Founder of Perenna, about this new Danish-style mortgage lender offering 30 year fixed rate mortgages in the UK.

We covered:

• How Danish banks - and now UK banks - can offer long term fixed rate mortgages using covered bonds
• The hurdles a new bank has to overcome - as seen in Bank of Dave!
• The impacts of longer term fixed rates - for people and the economy

Guest website: https://www.perenna.com/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%87%B3%F0%9F%87%B1-arjan-verbeek-5884681/

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Host website: annaclareharper.com

Send us a text

Sustainable development and place-making with Roger Madelin CBE, Joint Head of British Land’s Canada Water Development and Anna Clare Harper.

In Anna's words: 

I was delighted to chat to Roger Madelin CBE about sustainable development and place-making in the current challenging environment.

Roger is Joint Head of British Land’s 53 acre Canada Water Development, and previously led major projects including Brindleyplace in Birmingham, Thames Valley Park in Reading the King’s Cross Development.

We covered:

• The commercial realities of development in the 2020s
• The patience required for sustainable development
• Advice for aspiring developers and architects

Guest website: https://www.britishland.com/

Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaclareharper/

Host website: annaclareharper.com