Bidwells seeks to double size of business by 2030

Bidwells has set its sights on doubling the size of its business by 2030 by hiring an additional 200-250 people and injecting “significant investment” into its operations. The 185-year-old Cambridge-based consultancy said it will use those funds to grow the size and scope of its operations by expanding into different sectors and regions of the UK. Its focus will be on high-value markets, such as science and technology, operational living, natural capital and renewable energy, in both new and existing locations. Last month the firm hired Iain Murray and his former team at operational living agency Cortland Consult to kick-start its build-to-rent offering. The newly established division will be national in scope and offer a range of operational living consultancy services, from capital markets, fundraising support, and deal sourcing to development and project management, planning, and operations. Nick Pettit, senior partner at Bidwells, said: “We believe that now is the time to be ambitious as a business that has been historically unafraid of venturing into new and exciting areas. We helped to establish Europe’s first science park – Cambridge Science Park – in the 1970s. “More recently, we have invested heavily to double the size of our energy and renewables team over the past two years to create one of the industry’s most sophisticated service offerings. “As such, this marks an exciting expansion into both new and existing areas for our business and will ensure we are well primed to capture growth in the built environment’s most high-value markets.” Kelly Bream, chief operating officer at Bidwells, added: “This is a new chapter for Bidwells as we seek to diversify and deepen our service offering across existing and new areas of the business. “It is an ambitious but considered expansion, and one that taps into markets across the real assets landscape that offer the highest potential for upside for both the partnership and its clients. “Our expansion into the operational living markets represents our conviction in the long-term structural and demographic tailwinds driving investor interest in the sector, and will play a vital role in our growth strategy going forward.”