The property industry has paid tribute to trailblazing City agent Karen Queen, who died last week aged 49.
Queen, who rose to the role of CBRE executive director for capital markets during a 27-year career with the firm, died peacefully surrounded by her family at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on 23 November after a year-long battle with cancer.
She was a retained adviser to Evans Randall, having begun working with the private bank in 2004. By the time of her death she had advised on £8bn of deals with the firm.
Highlights included the £630m purchase of The Gherkin with German bank IVG Immobilien in February 2007, and the £452m purchase of 5 Canada Square in July 2007.
This year she helped secure the company more than £40m in profit on the £285m sale of Drapers Gardens, EC2, to Ginko Capital Management 18 months after advising on the purchase.
Evans Randall chief executive Kent Gardner said: “Karen was an amazing person at both a personal and business level as an adviser and a close friend.
“Whatever she did she put absolutely everything into it whether it was looking after her girls or working as the ‘fourth partner’ in Evans Randall. She will be missed by us all on so many levels.”
CBRE UK managing director Martin Samworth said: “As an agent she was admired throughout the industry, and was responsible for some incredible transactions. Personally, I will remember her for so many reasons, but in particular her ability to bring warmth in almost any situation. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.”
Queen also worked closely with Matrix, which she advised on the purchase of the former JP Morgan Chase headquarters in Alban Gate, EC2, from CIT in June 2003 for £240m and its sale again in November 2005 for £312m to Buckingham Securities.
GM Real Estate partner Tony McCurley, who worked with Queen at CBRE, said: “She was unique – determined, positive, charming, never phased by anything and had that valuable skill of being able to get important information out of someone without them even noticing.”
Jones Lang LaSalle City investment director Andrew Hawkins added: “Karen was a phenomenal operator, widely respected here at Jones Lang LaSalle. She could be a tough competitor – but also had lightness of touch when needed. She was a trailblazer who inspired many in the industry – at the absolute top of the investment game.”
One of the few women in the upper echelons of the City of London property market, Queen recently became involved with a property investment education programme for Saudi Arabian women on behalf of CBRE.
She was married to BNP Paribas Real Estate chief executive John Slade and is survived by daughters Stephanie and Madeleine.
A statement released on behalf of the family thanked her doctors and nurses and asked for donations to Macmillan Cancer Support in lieu of flowers.
www.macmillan.org.uk
