St Modwen Logistics has appointed Gordon Kellie to the newly created role of head of portfolio to lead the management of its 12.4m sq ft logistics portfolio and support its UK growth strategy.
Kellie joins at a time of rapid growth for the business, with St Modwen Logistics having developed more than 2m sq ft of sustainable warehouse space in 2022. In the past six months, the company has acquired assets exceeding 1m sq ft, with plans to further develop out its 22m sq ft strategic land bank, as well as continuing to acquire assets to support its growth plans.
Kellie, who has more than 30 years’ experience in the real estate sector, will join in June from ARA Dunedin, the UK arm of APAC’s largest real estate fund manager, ESR group, where he spent 20 years. He brings a wealth of experience, having led on key portfolio management and aggregation strategies, predominantly in the industrial and logistics sector, spanning core-plus and value-add assets across the UK.
Kellie will lead the asset and property management teams and work closely with managing director Polly Troughton to drive St Modwen Logistics’ growth strategy through value creation and performance across the growing platform. His appointment further expands the senior leadership team following the arrival of James Cooper from InfraRed Capital Partners as head of transactions in September 2022.
Kellie said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to join one of the UK’s fastest-growing logistics platforms.
“The portfolio is primarily high-quality mid-box assets developed by St Modwen, located in and around the UK’s core cities and road networks and let to global, national and independent businesses across a wide range of industry sectors. I look forward to working with the team to continue to maximise value from the portfolio, utilising St Modwen’s in-house development capability to ensure our assets continue to provide best-in-class, sustainable workspace in the UK’s prime industrial locations.”
Troughton added: “The structural trends driving demand for logistics space, such as the growth of the digital economy and the need for resilient supply chains, remain very strong, with the UK facing a long-term undersupply of space. This underpins our strategy to expand the portfolio in key locations through both development and acquisitions.
“Gordon has a demonstrable track record in aggregating and managing logistics portfolios at scale, and is an excellent addition to our team as we accelerate our growth plans.”
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