Billionaire inventor Sir James Dyson’s property company, Weybourne Investments, has poached Mayfair Capital’s head of investment Jonathon Gibbon.
The appointment of the “first-class transaction specialist” comes as Dyson increases his exposure to the commercial real estate market.
The entrepreneur, best known for inventing the bagless vacuum cleaner, owns a property portfolio that includes the 3,000-acre Cranwell and Roxholme farming estates, which he bought from the Crown Estate last year.
He is also active in the commercial office market, with a portfolio including a £17.5m pair of offices in Mayfair, and will shortly embark on plans for a new £250m technology campus in Malmsbury, Wiltshire.
The new facility will double the size of Dyson’s existing factory and will host new research and development laboratories.
Weybourne manages the Dyson family’s personal wealth, including its interests as a shareholder of Dyson Group, as well as its farming and property investments.
According to Forbes, the 67-year-old inventor boasts a £2.7bn fortune.
Gibbon, who was previously head of UK transactions at Aberdeen Asset Management, joined Mayfair Capital in July 2014.
Mayfair Capital chief executive James Thornton said: “Jonathon is a first-class transaction specialist and while we were very sorry to see him leave, we appreciate the fantastic opportunity he has at Weybourne and wish him the best of luck and look forward to working with him in the future.”
His previous property experience includes stints at Colliers International and DTZ.
Gibbon left his role at Mayfair Capital last week and is expected to start at Weybourne Investments imminently.
