Cadogan has hired busines improvement district pioneer Giles Semper as Head of Place.
Semper has been a leading thinker on placemaking and urban regeneration with over 20 years of experience in driving city-centre transformation from Singapore to Southampton.
Cadogan chief Hugh Seaborn said: “Our business is obviously not just about buildings but breathing life into the spaces between them and supporting the community within and around them. Giles considerable insight and expertise will be invaluable to ensuring Chelsea strengthens further as a thriving destination to live, work and visit.”
Semper will also support Cadogan’s ‘Chelsea 2030’ programme, a stewardship strategy outlining the estates’s aims to significantly reduce its environmental impact, support a thriving community and improve climate resilience – including a commitment to emit Net Zero Carbon by 2030.
Semper said: “People will always want to come together, and town centres are not just for commerce but for leisure, entertaining and culture. Chelsea provides the perfect canvas for its community, with a backdrop of beautiful architecture and public spaces – our responsibility is to embrace these elements and continue to create an inspiring, accessible environment.”
Semper’s most recent role was as executive director of Go! Southampton, which saw him support local businesses in setting up the BID, before taking it through its first term and a successful second ballot in November 2022. GO! Southampton helped the city get shortlisted for UK City of Culture 2025.
Prior to this, he was a director at The Means, an urban regeneration and placemaking consultancy, where he worked globally with over 60 international BIDs, while also helping to shape Better Bankside and VauxhallOne.
added: ” “It is a privilege for me to be joining Cadogan, a longstanding steward of one of the world’s most famous neighbourhoods – it is exciting to be working with the talented team to conceive new ways in which Chelsea can be thriving and inclusive.”
Cadogan has had a positive first half of the year, with footfall across the Chelsea estate up consistently on pre-Covid 2019 levels and string of flagship retail lettings.
