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Strutt & Paker strengthens with two new hires
Strutt & Parker has announced two new hires, with the appointments of Shereen Akhtar as senior associate director, and Tom Glenn as associate in its Knightsbridge & Belgravia office on Sloane Street, London.
With 13 years in the industry, Akhtar joins Strutt & Parker following two years as associate partner at Carter Jonas where her main focus was on driving international business via their Christie’s International Real Estate affiliation. Prior to this she spent eight years at UK Sotheby’s International Realty. Her career has built on experience rooted in wealth management; beginning her career as an Analyst at JP Morgan Chase.
Akhtar specialises in the prime and super-prime market in prime central London, covering sales in premium development projects, the traditional re-sale market, as well as advising on investment portfolios.
Akhtar commented: “We are at a pivotal point in London where the opportunity for international investment in exceptionally well valued prime addresses sits against a backdrop of global geopolitical uncertainty. The importance of insight and client-focused guidance has never been greater.”
Glenn joins Strutt & Parker from Chestertons’ Knightsbridge & Belgravia office where he was a senior sales negotiator, having moved into sales after working Knightsbridge & Belgravia’s lettings team.
Claire Reynolds, UK head of sales at Strutt & Parker, said: “Both Shereen and Tom are excellent hires, at an important time in the growth of our business in prime and super-prime markets. Knightsbridge & Belgravia is a key market for Strutt & Parker, and one where our clients will benefit from the depth of expertise and client-focused approach of Shereen and Tom.
“Shereen has enviable international contacts, spanning from the US to the Middle East and Asia, and a deep understanding of their motivations and expectations, while Tom’s data driven approach is crucial in unlocking opportunities for both Strutt & Parker and our clients.”
Shereen and Tom are the latest hires for Strutt & Parker, following that of Tom Parsons who returned to the firm last month in Fulham. Other recent hires include Louise Harrison as head of national estates and farms agency and Sarah Brown as director in the agency’s national country house department.
The firm also recently announced the creation of their broker team, and roll out of ‘hybrid’ agency model. New hires into the broker team over the past few months have included James Diaper, Zach Madison, Minnie Stainrod, Andrew Chambers, and Toby Downes, as Strutt & Parker continues its growth ambitions following significant investment from shareholder BNP Paribas last year.
Lomond hires new group people director
Lomond has appointed James Cosser-Hindle as Group People Director. He will work with the executive team and regional leaders on organisational structure and staffing as the business continues to expand through growth and acquisitions.
His role will include developing leadership capability and supporting recruitment and retention across the group.
Cosser-Hindle has more than 15 years’ experience across sectors including financial services, health tech, media and retail. He has previously worked at WPP, John Lewis & Partners, Sainsbury’s and most recently HeliosX.
Clare Wakeford, Chief People Officer, Lomond, said: “It’s great to welcome James to the team and continue to build on our ambitions here at Lomond.
“It’s an exciting time for the company. As we keep growing, we need to ensure that our people strategy is at the heart of this, and James is the right person to join us on this journey.”
Cosser-Hindle added: “Lomond is one of the UK’s most ambitious and fast-growing property groups. I’m a people first leader, and what stands out most to me is that Lomond genuinely values its people, ensuring they are at the forefront of every decision.”
RealEstate:UK names Vanessa Hale as founding CEO
Real Estate:UK has appointed Vanessa Hale, currently at BNP Paribas Real Estate, as its first chief executive. She will take up the role in July.
Hale has more than 20 years’ experience in the property sector and is currently head of research and strategy at BNP Paribas Real Estate, where she also sits on the UK executive team. Earlier in her career, she worked in the US on office market analysis and corporate workspace strategy.
She has previously chaired Urban Land Institute UK and has held roles with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s commercial property forum and the Property Industry Alliance board.
Real Estate:UK is being formed through the merger of the Association of Real Estate Funds (AREF), the British Property Federation and the Investment Property Forum. The merger is expected to complete on 30 April 2026 following member approval last year.
The new organisation will initially be chaired by Anne Breen, global head of real estate at Aberdeen and current AREF chair, with a board made up of representatives from the three bodies.
Breen said: “With [Hale’s] her breadth of experience and strong industry credibility, she will be a powerful advocate for UK real estate and is ideally placed to lead the new organisation as it brings the industry together with a single, authoritative voice. I’m certain her commitment to sustainability, diversity and supporting the next generation of talent will set a strong and progressive direction for the industry.”
Simon Carter, president of the British Property Federation and chief executive of British Land, commented: “Vanessa was the standout choice to lead Real Estate:UK. Her compelling vision for the organisation and experience across all asset classes and leading ULI UK will be invaluable as we partner with government to unlock more capital to invest in our towns and cities. I wish her every success in this important role.”
Hale added: “We have a huge opportunity to create a new single convenor and voice for UK real estate building on the successes of AREF, BPF and IPF and I look forward to working with Anne and the RE:UK board to bring that vision to reality for the benefit of the sector and all our current and future members.”
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