While the pandemic threatened to change London’s real estate market forever, innovative executives have been strengthening the property market and making it a more vibrant and exciting city than ever before. Executives such as Gabriela Hersham, Sameer Gehlaut, and Chris Davies are providing new ways for office workers, students, and residents to bring out the best in London.
The period following the numerous COVID-19 lockdowns saw offices deserted, with many workspaces moving completely online. But finally, London is getting back to normal. It is more important than ever to attract success to the city, especially with the next economic crisis on the horizon.
Paul Williams
Paul Williams is CEO of Derwent London, a firm building stunning industrial-style offices across the city in key corporate hubs. The DL/78 on Charlotte Street, their flagship development, boasts expansive open plan working, thoughtful design to encourage collaboration, and a dedicated wellness centre. All its offices have a distinctive creative edge, and the company prides itself on the innovation it strives for in the development industry.
As well as building modern, high-quality buildings, Derwent has dedicated itself to improving diversity and inclusion in the workforce. It is a member of the 10,000 Black Interns project, prioritising equal opportunities for Black students, and is progressing towards the Hampton-Alexander Review diversity targets for women in leadership roles. Derwent believes that the importance they place on diversity will be reflected by the companies which inhabit their office spaces through setting a positive example.
Bob Faith
Bob Faith has had a central role in transforming real estate across the globe. He founded Chapter, a luxury student accommodation brand, in 1993 as a branch of the US real estate firm Greystar. Despite being of American descent, Faith has tapped into a market which few others have been able to in student accommodation – high-income international students.
Thousands of families across the world trust Chapter with providing their children the highest quality accommodation, with buildings boasting on-site gyms, cinemas, games areas, and rooftop bars. The company has been hugely successful at attracting high-flying students who are it is hoped will become the future of the city, and their success is clear to see through the 13 buildings they own from Spitalfields to White City.
Sameer Gehlaut
Sameer Gehlaut is the founder of Clivedale, a property development firm based in London. Gehlaut has ploughed investment into the capital, and Clivedale is behind some of the city’s most iconic new offices, including 20 Carlton House Terrace and 73-77 Brook Street. The company recently signed the biggest lease of the decade with BP, showing just how well Clivedale’s projects have been received.
Now that companies are beginning to return to in-person working, the biggest businesses and their teams are looking for well-designed offices which can impress foreign clients and give their staff the best facilities. They need to be optimised for productivity whilst also attracting the talent and clients that make them most successful.
Breath-taking interiors combined with prime locations, plus facilities such as cycle storage, gyms, and a fully digital environment create a workspace that balances business with wellness at Clivedale’s developments. Top-level companies and clients are completely at home in these offices, and are also able to enjoy the culture and leisure offerings of the best parts of London.
Gabriela Hersham
Huckletree founder Gabriela Hersham understands the value of coworking and the importance of these spaces to new businesses and entrepreneurs. She brought her own unique spin on the already popular WeWork culture to London in 2014 and has played a vital role in helping entrepreneurs find their feet in the city.
Huckletree spaces are modern, collaborative, and offer everything you could want in an office. But that is not all – what really sets Huckletree apart, and what Hersham has so successfully implemented in her offices, is a sense of community. Huckletree offices are designed to create positive communities of entrepreneurs, and even allows them access to the advice of industry experts, free fitness and wellness classes to continue networking outside of working hours, and so much more.
With offices based in the trendiest areas of London such as Soho and Shoreditch, Huckletree offices really are the millennial dream and are ideal for up-and-coming businesses. So far, they have helped over 200 business relocate to their own permanent offices once they’d outgrown Huckletree and provide support for businessowners to help them expand their knowledge.
Chris Davies
Uncommon feels like a more grown-up, socially conscious version of many of the coworking spaces we see around the city. Its central focus is sustainability and wellbeing, demonstrated by the huge amounts of greenery throughout its offices and its Net Zero promise by 2027. Its ultimate aim is to be carbon negative, and to only rely on ethically sourced products.
Digitisation and technology are at the forefront of their innovative offices, allowing clients to order from the café without having to leave their desks and to book meeting rooms seamlessly. Newly starting-out business are able to build their success in an environment optimised for productivity, unhindered by slow processes and outdated technology.
Uncommon has a different approach to creating the perfect workspace compared to the likes of Huckletree. Rather than simply giving employees access to fitness classes or free snack cupboards, Uncommon has prioritised a more holistic approach to wellness. This includes ergonomic design, lighting and decor optimised for calm and focus, and standing desks to encourage stretching. These are the top curated workspaces for those who want to take care of their mind and body while at the office.
Lesley and David Freed
Lesley and David Freed are co-founders of the Serviced Apartments Company, otherwise known as SACO Apartments. The company has been offering fully serviced apartments for 18 years, making them one of the most well-established companies in the sector.
The company was founded as the couple was frustrated at the lack of medium-term options for people coming to work in the city. They wanted to create something which offered the best locations, a home-from-home feeling, and the convenience of a hotel for busy working people. Their speciality is customer service, refined over the almost two decades they’ve been working in the industry, and the flexibility they offer.
Like Gehlaut, this type of real estate is changing the landscape of London from the ground up. By giving working people a high-class, convenient, luxury option, they are helping to draw the best talent to the city and keep them there through their unparalleled service. It is this approach to real estate which is helping to bring London back from its COVID-era lows.
These six executives are shaping the future of London’s landscape, both from a physical standpoint but also by influencing the kinds of people who live and work in the city. Offering only the best of the best, exciting talent and successful companies are being drawn to London to make the most of its cutting-edge facilities.
