When the industry’s big achievers gather for the Estates Gazette Awards on 11 December, teams, companies and individuals will be celebrated as the industry’s biggest achievers.
Finalists have already been judged as superb by the industry’s top players, who deliberated together over a mountain of formidable entries. So even for the frontrunners who don’t steal first place, a berth on the shortlist is not to be sniffed at.
A win, however, could be career-changing.
Young Property Professional of the Year
SHORTLIST
Paul Clark, Capita
Alexandra Lanni, Laxfield Capital
Jonathan Manns,
Colliers International
Toby Ogden, DTZ
Sophie Walker, JLL
What the sponsor says:
“Cluttons is sponsoring the Young Property Professional of the Year award to reward young individuals who have displayed initiative, innovation, leadership and an ability to add value. Cluttons has a fast-growing international platform. We believe that a bright future depends on nurturing talent. This is demonstrated by our investment in our graduate scheme and our continued sponsorship of this award.”
John Wood, managing partner.
Will Grant, JLL, Young Property Professional Award 2013 winner
Will Grant is often introduced to people by his colleagues along with the sobriquet “Estates Gazette’s Young Property Professional of the Year”. The national director of JLL’s residential team earned the title in 2013 when he strode on to the stage to the applause of 1,000 industry movers and shakers.
It was one of four awards JLL took home that night.
“I remember being manhandled by our chief executive when my name was announced. It was an electric night and loads of fun,” recalls Grant.
He was described by the judges as the “standout candidate”. His entry credited him with kick-starting the south-east Asian marketing phenomenon in London, and completing the first post-recession unconditional land transaction in the Docklands. He is also the residential team’s Twitter guru.
All credible achievements, but to stand out in a company that employs 2,500 people across the UK, let alone an industry employing tens of thousands, requires something special. The award gave him that special something overnight.
“It has helped to raise my profile in the emerging residential sector, which is great as most ‘youngsters’ in the major agency practices have historically chosen office investment over residential-led careers,” he says. “Any step up is a bonus.
“And once my name appeared in the magazine, ex-colleagues and contacts, and even people I went to school with who work in the industry, came out of the woodwork to congratulate me, wanting to catch up.”
And why wouldn’t you want to hang out with property’s next big thing?
Investment Fund Manager of the Year
SHORTLIST:
AXA Real Estate
CBRE Global Investors
LaSalle Investment Management
Legal & General Property
M&G Investments
Mayfair Capital Investment Management
What the sponsor says:
“It has been a busy year for commercial property fund managers. A number of trophy portfolios have changed hands, record refinancing deals have been secured and there have been numerous high-profile mergers and acquisitions. The finalists in this category have all stood out among an illustrious crowd by doing something truly special and we wish them all luck.”
Alex Brown, Partner, Malcolm Hollis
2013 winner:
EG asked Michael Barrie, director of fund management at Legal & General Property, to offer some encouraging words to future entrants of the Investment Fund Manager of the Year category in the EG Awards. His response spoke volumes about how significant he considered the win.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, “After all, we wouldn’t mind winning a few more.” Well, fair enough. Last year’s win was a coup for the firm, certainly worth repeating.
“My memory of the EG Awards night is surprisingly clear given the predatory speed with which the wine seemed to circle our table. But the win, of course, was the great highlight. I seem to remember a lot of hugging and cheering, and it took quite some time for Bill [Hughes, L&G’s managing director] to extract himself from the very happy tables to collect the award.
“There were even texts flooding through from well-wishers on other tables.”
L&G won the award against a field of strong competitors. They were described by one of the judges as a “very active player, head and shoulders above the rest”. It was their innovative approach to protecting their investors’ long-term interests that caught their attention.
“It was a tremendous endorsement of all the hard work that each member of the L&G team puts into their daily activities and we have used it as a new higher benchmark to continue to push the boundaries of what can be achieved.”
