Knight Frank has elected Alistair Elliott to the position of senior partner, replacing Nick Thomlinson.
Elliott, 50, has been head of Knight Frank’s commercial division since 2006 and is an office agency and development specialist.
He will assume the role of senior partner in April 2013.
Thomlinson, who joined the firm in 1974, has been senior partner since 2004. Career highlights include heading KF’s Hong Kong office in 1984, launching the first office agency in London’s Docklands in 1986 and establishing KF’s Indian operation in Mumbai. He became head of global residential in 2000.
John Snow will succeed Elliott as head of the UK commercial division.
Snow joined Knight Frank’s West End Office Agency team in 1980, was appointed head of department in 1992 and subsequently took on the role of head of central London offices in 1999.
Thomlinson said: “I have been privileged to lead one of the world’s great property firms and have thoroughly enjoyed doing so. My tenure has seen the market swing between several extremes and it has certainly never been dull. Knight Frank has now expanded to become a truly global business. It is a market leader in both residential and commercial and I am proud to say firmly independent.
“I strongly believe that Alistair is just the man to take the firm to the next stage of growth. He has been a tremendous representative of Knight Frank since his first day at the firm. I leave the partnership in very capable hands.”
Alistair Elliott said: “Having seen so much change over the past 30 years, I am honoured to be given the opportunity to take on the role of senior partner. Whilst the economy will undoubtedly throw up demanding market conditions in the short to medium term, the Knight Frank business is in great shape to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.
“I have huge confidence in our teams in the UK and globally and I very much look forward to working with them in developing their plans. Our brand is, to my mind, one of the strongest in the sector, not least because of our supremacy in the residential markets, and I intend to develop this strength aggressively while maintaining its integrity.
“Nick, who steps down in April, has been an enormous asset for the firm and I do not underestimate the size of the shoes I have to fill. Nick takes great credit for steering the business through the recent downturn.
John Snow said: “Alistair has done a truly fantastic job over the past six years, guiding us confidently through the best and worst markets of recent times; he will be a difficult act to follow. There is, however, great potential to further expand our commercial division by exploiting our residential businesses’ unique access to global wealth together with the market leading residential development team. This is in addition to taking full advantage of our rapidly expanding global platform, which gives our UK commercial clients informed access to both international investors and corporates.
“We are extremely fortunate in having some of the best people in the industry who are attracted by the collegiate working environment and the opportunity to work for the largest independent firm in the global real estate advisory sector. Our unique position in the market place undoubtedly resonates with clients and it is an extremely exciting time to take the reins as head of Knight Frank’s commercial division.”
jack.sidders@estatesgazette.com
