EG Awards winners crowned at glittering night of celebration

PrintDownload

More than 800 professionals from across the built environment gathered at Old Billingsgate last night to celebrate the 20th annual EG Awards.

With entertainment from beatboxing legends Duke and award-winning comedian Sindhu Vee, 20 winners were crowned as EG celebrated the positive contribution of real estate over the past 12 months.

Congratulations to all winners and finalists.

A full write-up will follow in the 7 December issue of EG Magazine and click here to view a selection of images from the night.

Future of Real Estate Award

In partnership with Aldermore Bank

This award celebrates the companies or individuals that are doing more than ensuring their own success.

Winner: Related Argent

Finalists:

  • FORE Partnership
  • Madison Berkeley
  • Plentific
  • Tide, Vision & Outpost Management
  • Utopi
  • Valos

Judges wanted to shine a light on an area of real estate that rarely gets its moment in the sun. Al Beevers was selected by our judges as the winner for the plethora of world and UK-firsts he has brought to help Related Argent make construction and development a safer place. Among his achievements was helping drastically reduce on-site incidents to just 24 across 5.5m people hours.

Inclusive Design Award

In partnership with Landsec

Inspired by one of our Future Leaders, this award focuses on projects that are accessible and functional for everyone, integrating inclusive thinking within the design process from concept to completion.

Winner: Royal National Institute of Blind People for the Grimaldi Building

Finalists:

  • Bellway for Thespian at Oakfields Park
  • Foster + Partners for the Apple store in Battersea

Our judges were touched more deeply than they expected by this outstanding submission. They called the Grimaldi Building an absolute market leader and a scheme that can and should teach others to be better and to be truly inclusive.

Best Workplace Award

Finalists for this award had to show evidence of how office space has been adapted to meet the needs of a more flexible workforce. 

Winner: Hines for Grainhouse

Finalists:

Judges really loved this entry, not just for being a really stunning building, but for the social value it delivered, integration with the local community and attention to detail.

Public/Private Partnership Award

In partnership with JLL

This award celebrates the partnerships that are delivering solutions through real estate, in particular solutions to societal and environmental issues.

Winner: Ellandi Management and Blackpool Council for the regeneration of Blackpool town centre

Finalists:

  • Cardiff Council and Wates Residential for the delivery of 1,500 new homes across 40 sites in Cardiff
  • Grainger, Network Rail, and Bloc Group for their build-to-rent jv to deliver 2,000 homes across Great Britain
  • Pendle Borough Council and Barnfield Investment Properties for the £32m transformation of former cotton mill Northlight
  • The London Borough of Sutton, Aviva Capital Partners and development partner Socius for a £1bn plan to deliver the London Cancer Hub

This was a “standout” winner for our judges for taking such a challenged area and sector and having such a positive impact economically and socially.

Global Company Award

In partnership with Knight Frank

The category seeks to showcase global real estate leaders that can demonstrate robust financial performance plus responsible business leadership.

Winner: BioMed Realty

Finalists:

  • Blackstone
  • Oxford Properties
  • SEGRO

Judges were really impressed with our winner, which they said had grown to be a market-leading, vertically integrated platform that was not only supporting a boom sector, but doing so while also showcasing strong ESG credentials.

UK Company Award

In partnership with Colliers

This category is open to all UK businesses operating in the real estate sphere and sought to celebrate businesses that were true leaders in their specialisms, delivering solid financial results and showcasing responsible business leadership.

Winner: Peabody

Finalists:

  • CO-RE
  • Feldberg Capital
  • Grainger
  • Grosvenor
  • Legal & General
  • Unite Students
  • Utopi

There was a big debate around the shortlist for this category, with so many brilliant entries, but ultimately our judges picked “a brilliant business that is making a difference by being true to its values”.

Real Estate Adviser Award

In partnership with Kato

This year EG opened this category up to UK real estate advisory businesses of any size. Firms were judged on excellence of service, delivery and corporate best practice.

Winner: GIA

Finalists:

  • Compton
  • EVORA Global
  • JLL
  • Knight Frank
  • Rapleys
  • Savills

With a wonderful mix of large international consultants and niche specialists, this category certainly made judges work hard. After much deliberation, their spotlight landed on GIA for its expert advice around rights of light. Judges were particularly impressed by its bespoke approach to clients, investment in technology and AI to identify leads and opportunities and work to secure fresh investment to fuel its growth ambitions.

BTR Specialist Award

In partnership with Gowling WLG

This category focuses on the best in built-to-rent and was open to operators, investors and advisers.

Winner: PLATFORM_

Finalists:

  • Get Living
  • Native Residential
  • Outpost Management

This winner stood out for successfully delivering homes in difficult market and at affordable rates. “Impressive,” said our judges, and “a step ahead”.

Industrial & Logistics Award

In partnership with Freehold

This category showcases the best in industrial and logistics and was open to operators, investors and advisers.

Winner: SEGRO

Finalists:

  • Fiera Real Estate
  • Trebor Developments
  • Tritax Big Box REIT

In a year in which this sector has been hit hard, our judges continued to be impressed by how SEGRO operates, the numbers it continues to produce and its leading position in the market.

Alternatives Specialist Award

In partnership with Valos

Those active in the life sciences, hotel, healthcare, student, retirement and data centre sectors were invited to enter this category.

Winner: Student Cribs

Finalists:

  • AXA IM Alts
  • Gerald Eve
  • Harris Associates
  • Newcore Capital
  • Rapleys

Student Cribs was singled out for its strong product and impressive growth in a competitive market.

London Deal Award

In partnership with Carter Jonas

This category sought to highlight not necessarily the biggest, but the most impactful deal in the London real estate market.

Winner: Homes England, GLA and Berkeley Group’s partnership deal to deliver 8,000 new homes in Newham and Southwark

Finalists:

  • Cain International’s £535m loan to Canary Wharf Group alongside Starwood Capital Group
  • Edge and Mitsubishi Estate’s acquisition of 125 Shaftesbury Avenue
  • Related Argent’s £243m loan with ICG Real Estate to deliver a 484-home BTR scheme in Tottenham Hale
  • Tide and Outpost Management’s forward-funding deal of the 50-storey Enclave Croydon, Europe’s tallest volumetric building

Judges awarded the win to Homes England, the GLA and Berkeley Group for what they said was a transformative deal that delivers volume where volume is needed. A true example of how the best deals are made through proper collaboration, our judges labelled the deal pioneering, significant and absolutely vital.

Regional Deal Award

In partnership with GIA

The category seeks to showcase the most impactful deal outside of the capital, with particular focus on the depth of impact the deal would have.

Winner: Greater Manchester Pension Fund’s £150m investment into Bruntwood SciTech

Finalists:

  • Capital & Regional’s £40m purchase of the Gyle Shopping Centre in Edinburgh
  • Housing Growth Partnership’s £390m jv with Thriving Investments to deliver 1,200 sustainable homes on regeneration sites across major UK regional cities
  • Plus X Innovation and AshbyCapital’s partnership on Slough innovation hub
  • Legal & General’s Loft Lines, a £150m residential development in Belfast, with 151 affordable homes funded and operated by Clanmil Housing Association
  • Blackstone’s £819m deal with Vistry Group to acquire more than 2,900 homes across the UK through its portfolio companies Sage Homes and Leaf Living
  • Trebor Development’s £150m Peterborough regeneration project in Peterborough providing a 635,000 sq ft manufacturing and distribution facility for Crown Packaging Manufacturing UK

Judges were blown away with all the entries for this category and said it was a difficult category to choose just one winner from. However, Greater Manchester Pension Fund’s £150m investment into Bruntwood SciTech, a joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General, was chosen for the impact it would have on the economy of several UK regional cites. Judges said the ambition to build a £5bn portfolio to support the growth of the life sciences and tech sectors in regional cities was a “game-changer”.

Legal Team Award

In partnership with LandAid

The category sought to showcase the best legal firm offering advice and expertise to the built environment. It was open to businesses of all sizes.

Winner: Brabners

Finalists:

  • CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang
  • DLA Piper
  • Hogan Lovells
  • Shoosmiths

Judges were keen to highlight that it was not just the size of the business, but what you do with it that matter. Brabners was selected for the win, not just for the advice it had provided throughout the year but for being a firm that was purpose-led, true to its roots putting its business where its values are.

City of the Year Award

This award seeks to highlight the UK’s cities that are working in tandem with the real estate sector to build better, more inclusive and equitable places.

Winner: Salford

Finalists:

  • Leeds
  • Sheffield

While so many of our cities have stood proud this year, Salford was a clear frontrunner for our judges. They called Salford pioneering and an exemplar. “This is a city setting the bar when it comes to building a fairer, greener and healthier city for all,” said judges.

Employer Award

In partnership with the NLA

This category was open to all employers active in the built environment. Judges wanted to see evidence of strong leadership, innovation and commitment to employee development.

Winner: MAPP

Finalists:

  • Gerald Eve
  • Savills

This was a unanimous and easy choice for judges this year. While all shortlisted businesses showcased great practices and portrayed why they were great places to work, MAPP stood out by showing that it really cared about its people. Judges called it “a truly transformative leader”.

Sustainability Award

In partnership with East On Commercial Interiors

As one of the largest contributors to the climate challenge, what the real estate industry is doing to improve its sustainability credentials gets more important every year. This award was one of EG’s most entered and most highly scrutinised categories this year.

Winner: FORE Partnership

Finalists:

  • AshbyCapital
  • Bellway
  • Fiera Real Estate
  • GPE
  • Harrison Street
  • Quadrum Global
  • Thakeham

Judges said FORE’s entry was clearly focused on doing the right thing for the planet consistently, not just doing something once to win an award and get the badge. They called the business a real leader that was “walking the walk as well as talking the talk”.

Social Impact Award

In partnership with Bidwells

Firms entering this category were asked to provide evidence of businesses integrating a positive impact on society into the way they do business. Judges were looking for examples of working with communities to drive societal outcomes such as building community cohesion, alleviating homelessness, creating opportunities for economic growth, skills and learning, health, wellbeing and quality of life within local communities.

Winner: Regal

Finalists:

  • Federated Hermes
  • Legal & General
  • SEGRO
  • Tritax Management
  • Urban Land Institute

Judges said this was another really difficult category to choose a single winner from. However, EG’s judges were particularly impressed with the Regal’s focus on helping alleviate the very real struggle of an important proportion of society. They called it “a great initiative that shows its true social value”.

Campaign of the Year Award

In partnership with Property Marketing Awards

The category – new for 2024 – sought to champion best practice in real estate marketing campaigns. Judges shortlisted campaigns that delivered across digital, print and out-of-home media, showcasing building launches, investments, lettings and/or refurbishments, corporate branding, thought leadership, placemaking and more.

Winner: Savills

Finalists:

  • Allford Hall Monaghan Morris for Fit Out // Rip Out research report
  • PREACH Inclusion (formerly BAME in Property) and Prideview’s #PrideviewCricket Cup
  • Bidwells’ Science & Technology campaign
  • Cartwright Communications and Lovell Homes for the Influencer Campaign: Elevating Apartments at The Gateway in collaboration with @our_home_on_thehill
  • Madison Berkeley for the Empower Equity five-day digital and audio campaign, in partnership with Ladies in Real Estate
  • Shared ownership provider Your Home and data science firm Outra’s first-time buyers campaign
  • Related Argent for the Mind Your Brain campaign
  • Latimer (Clarion Housing Group) and theEword’s campaign to improve lead quality for their shared ownership scheme
  • Stepladder’s campaign for JP Morgan’s One Spitalfields retail development

Against a challenging economic backdrop, judges felt that Savills’ marketeers had successfully secured internal investment for a bold, insight-led campaign that defied industry norms, using powerful storytelling to connect with an often-overlooked audience. Through innovative use of data and insight, their multi-channel strategy achieved record-breaking results, increased brand awareness, and redefined Savills’ reach and relevance. This exceptional work is a testament to the marketing team’s dedication, insight and strategic vision, said our judges.

EG Rising Star Award

In partnership with Real Estate Balance

The EG Rising Star award seeks to showcase an individual who is making an impact on the industry right now and has set themselves up to become one of the sector’s brightest talents. This category is always packed with outstanding entries and this year was no different.

Winner: Emily Robson, assistant chief executive, Knowledge Quarter Liverpool

Finalists:

  • Jan Dierckx, design technology senior manager, Gensler
  • Cher-Crystal Hewitt-De Lisle, apprentice surveyor, Allsop
  • Leo del Rosso, senior lending manager, Commercial Acceptances
  • Jenna Harris, head of co-living, Harris Associates and co-founder, Harris Studios 
  • Shaan Makwana, head of living capital markets, build-to-rent, Carter Jonas
  • Rebecca Shafran, director – research – BTR/PBSA/care homes/retirement living/hotels
  • Joe Woolley, development manager, Urban Splash
  • James Wragg, chief commercial officer, Student Cribs

This is a category in which everyone is a winner. All nine of these shortlisted superstars is more than worthy of celebration as each showcases the safe hands the future of this industry is in. But only one of them could be crowned this year’s EG Rising Star. Emily Robson, assistant chief executive of Knowledge Quarter Liverpool was chosen because judges believed she embodied what the future of real estate could and should look like. Judges said Robson was really impressive at such a young age, pioneering and showing a rapid rise in her position in the sector. Robson is “exactly the sort of person that we should be encouraging to grow a career in our sector” said our judges.

Read more about all of our Rising Stars here: Meet EG’s rising stars 

Outstanding Contribution Award

Keith Breslauer, managing director, Patron Capital

Judges were unanimous in awarding the Outstanding Contribution award to Keith Breslauer this year.

He could have picked up this title merely for never giving up in a very tough fundraising market, said judges, but Breslauer was also highlighted for never giving up on those who deserve something better and who deserve to be remembered for the sacrifices they have made for all of us.

Judges said Breslauer was someone who was relentless in their approach, a powerhouse who walks the talk and never minces their words.

Find out more about the EG Awards at www.eg.co.uk/eg-events/eg-awards-2024

All photos © Ed Telling

Share your feedback

Follow EG