EG brings you the ultimate guide to this year’s 50 most influential property players
This year, and for the first time, the Power List entries have been supplemented with scores in five categories: impact, connectivity, visibility, value and popularity. These run alongside, rather than inform, the rankings and are not the sole criteria on which the list was compiled or the entries judged.
50Mike Prew
Managing director and senior analyst, Jefferies
Behind closed doors, almost every senior listed property company executive will have something to say about Mike Prew.
The notoriously bearish analyst is always the first to point out companies’ weaknesses but, like him or not, he is often right, read by everyone and shapes perception of the industry’s biggest companies.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★★ | Value ☆☆☆☆☆ | Popularity ★☆☆☆☆ |
49Sam Vasili
Programme manager and location strategist, Google
One of the most consistent – yet under the radar – Power List entrants, the 20-something analyst has moved to San Francisco but is still busy working up Google’s future space requirements and portfolio metrics.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★★ |
| Visibility ★☆☆☆☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★★★ |
48Saul Klein
Partner, LocalGlobe
Part of the original executive team at Skype, and founder and chief executive of LoveFilm, this is the venture capital investor you need to know.
Previously a partner at Index Ventures, where he invested in early-stage internet companies, he established an appetite for investing in proptech last year when he led a £1.1m investment in online mortgage advisor Trussle.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
47Sean Mulryan
Chief executive, Ballymore
Mulryan was one of Nama’s biggest debtors, but managed to repay €3.2bn (£2.8bn) and turn his business around.
A survivor of one of the biggest downturns who continues to be involved in the industry’s most important developments – Ballymore’s Goodluck Hope scheme in the East End is a case in point.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★☆☆☆ | Connectivity ★★☆☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★☆☆☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★☆☆☆ |
46Rio Ferdinand, Mark Noble and Bobby Zamora
Legacy Foundation
The footballers make the list again – in truth more for promise than progress.
They have been working up a sports-led, mixed-use regeneration scheme in Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire with Aviva Investors and Colliers International, and have ambitions to take the model to the London boroughs where they grew up – Newham, Barking & Dagenham and Southwark.
With the prime minister now pledging to make social housing a priority, theirs is an innovative model that is bound to move up the agenda.
| HOW DO THEY SCORE? | Impact ★☆☆☆☆ | Connectivity ★★☆☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★★★ |
45Juliette Morgan
British Land head of campus, Regent’s Place
The Queen of Tech hung up her crown at Cushman & Wakefield this year and has moved back into development and asset management with a new role heading up British Land’s 13-acre Euston scheme.
With grand plans to use the project as a gateway to boost London’s Knowledge Economy, she remains one to keep a close eye on.
| HOW DOES SHE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★★ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★★★ |
44Jonathan Goldstein
Chief executive, Cain Hoy
The man who will bring the remains of Shakespeare’s 16th-century Curtain Theatre back to life.
From The Stage, E1, to Lincoln Square, WC2, Goldstein is behind some of the capital’s most anticipated developments.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★☆☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★☆☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
43Simon Betty
Director of retail, Ireland, Hammerson
Betty was appointed as retail director for Ireland in 2015 following Hammerson’s acquisition of the Project Jewel portfolio, which included the Dundrum Town shopping centre.
With more than £1bn of Irish retail assets under his responsibility, how he navigates through the current retail climate will be watched by the whole industry.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★☆☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
42Tushar Agarwal
Chief executive, Hubble
The former investment banker leading the charge to “obliterate the traditional agency world” with an AI-enabled online platform matching occupiers with commercial space has certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons, with bold claims about becoming the next CBRE. But with the technology behind him, he is one to watch.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★★☆☆ | Value ★★☆☆☆ | Popularity ★☆☆☆☆ |
41Chris Grigg
Chief executive, British Land
Alongside the regeneration of Canada Water, British Land continues to break the mould of traditional REITs, most recently by moving into the serviced office sector. With a focus on digital strategy and tech innovation, Grigg’s evolution as chief executive is a textbook example of a blue chip boss moving with the times.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★☆☆☆ |
40Robert Evans
Partner, Argent
The man in charge of sourcing new development opportunities for Argent, Evans has secured major schemes at Brent Cross and Tottenham.
All eyes will now be on him as Argent bids for the huge redevelopment of Euston station and its surroundings. The next King’s Cross?
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★★★ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
39Charlie Green and Olly Olsen
Co-founders, The Office Group
The UK’s disruptive home-grown serviced office provider was already a powerful force in the industry, but Blackstone’s £500m takeover of the business in June has given it a turbo-boost.
Green and Olsen, who have done every job at TOG from the bottom up, now have a platform that could threaten WeWork’s status as the most recognisable brand in the sector.
| HOW DO THEY SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★★★ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★★★ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
38Guy Grainger
Head of EMEA, JLL
© Tom Campbell
June was a big month for Grainger, who turned 50 and celebrated a year as JLL’s head of EMEA.
He has prioritised people and tech at the agent since becoming head of the UK in 2012 and is now focusing too on rebalancing the business into one whose revenues are drawn evenly from investment and occupier-focused work.
So what next? The top job at JLL? A move into another leadership position? Or how about mayor of London, his dream job? None seem impossible.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★☆☆☆ | Popularity ★★★★★ |
37Jo Negrini
Chief executive, London Borough of Croydon
A regeneration specialist for 30 years, and chief executive of Croydon Council since last summer, Negrini has already made her mark on the borough.
The Stanhope-led Ruskin Square development has changed impressions among those arriving at East Croydon station, after Boxpark picked the area for its first foray beyond Shoreditch.
Negrini’s challenge is to draw more occupiers to the borough and to ensure the long-delayed Westfield-Hammerson redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre lives up to its billing.
| HOW DOES SHE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
36Rob Noel
Chief executive, Landsec
It is hard to assemble a Power List without including the chief executive of the country’s largest property company.
Noel has presided over the wholesale transformation of the area around London’s Victoria station, and manages many millions of square feet of offices and retail UK-wide.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★☆☆☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
35Jacob Loftus
Founder, General Projects
© Emilie Sandy
Six years heading up UK investment at Resolution put 29-year-old Loftus on the map. But setting up on his own last year cemented his reputation as one of property’s most innovative young developers.
Now charged with transforming One Poultry, EC2, into a creative HQ for the future, Loftus has the power to redefine swathes of the capital, making them more attractive to an influx of modern, less traditional occupiers.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
34David Davis MP
Secretary of state for exiting the European Union
The ardent Brexiteer was mooted as a potential successor to prime minister Theresa May following the recent General Election.
If he were to succeed then it would be down to him to unite the Tories during Brexit negotiations – if recent political events are anything to go by, that will be no easy task.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★☆☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
33Darren Rodwell
Council leader, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
If he isn’t London’s number one need-to-know council leader, he is certainly up there. Developers are courting the leader of Barking & Dagenham – after all, his borough offers some of the capital’s best residential development opportunities.
Rodwell is also an innovator. He’s set up BeFirst, an arm’s-length council regeneration company led by Pat Hayes, who had been Ealing council’s head of regeneration and housing, and former head of the civil service, Sir Bob Kerslake.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
32Madeleine Cosgrave
Head of European real estate, GIC
Few investors have the might of $350bn (£275bn) Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC, and few sovereign funds rival the sophisticated set-up that GIC has in real estate.
The much-admired Cosgrave took the reins from Chris Morrish last year and now controls one of Europe’s best portfolios – including a 50% stake in Broadgate, EC2.
| HOW DOES SHE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★☆☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★☆☆☆ | Value ★★★★★ | Popularity ★★★★★ |
31Philip Hammond MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Hammond’s role as Chancellor of the Exchequer has evolved into one of damage limitation ahead of Brexit negotiations.
This is the man at the cabinet table, reading the figures and projections, who knows what the true economic impact of leaving the European Union could be.
It will be down to his efforts to ensure the UK doesn’t storm out of the EU.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★★☆☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★☆☆☆ |
30Joseph Lau
Owner, Chinese Estates
What Jospeh Lau wants, Joseph Lau buys.
Despite suffering recent ill health, Lau has continued to collect West End assets and this year managed to grow his net worth by $2.4bn (£1.8bn) to $15.5bn.
Investors beware: you don’t want to be in a bidding war with this tycoon.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★☆☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★☆☆☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★☆☆☆ |
29Amancio Ortega
Business tycoon
The Spanish billionaire founder of fashion chain Zara is watched by the industry not just for his shrewd retail brain, but also for his personal investments in property.
He has a taste for West End trophy assets and has spent hundreds of millions of pounds over recent years.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★☆☆☆ |
| Visibility ★☆☆☆☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
28Tom Redmayne and William Newton
Directors, WiredScore
They stormed the 2016 Power List, debuting at number seven, and are still major power players.
The duo behind the connectivity ratings system have expanded into France and Germany, and it remains feasible that it will soon be tough to sell a commercial building without their seal of approval.
| HOW DO THEY SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★★★ |
| Visibility ★★★★★ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
27David Sleath
Chief executive, SEGRO
Sleath’s year as president of the British Property Federation may have come to an end in June, but he has steered the good ship SEGRO from his office in the old Cunard Regent Street HQ since 2011.
He has restructured the business and capitalised as the industrial sector has made itself at home at real estate’s captain’s table.
Amazon’s recent purchase of Whole Foods highlights that the online retail revolution is unfinished. The course Sleath plots will determine whether SEGRO continues to capitalise.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★★ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
26Waheed Nazir
Director of planning and regeneration, Birmingham City Council
Nazir has circumnavigated the choppy political waters caused by changes of leadership and party control and become a prominent figure and go-to person at Birmingham City Council.
Among the biggest projects under his remit is the 348-acre Birmingham Curzon HS2 regeneration, where there is £1.7bn worth of development and investment opportunities.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
25Tim Cook
Chief executive, Apple
Arguably one of the most important men in tech, Cook visited London in February to discuss Apple’s investment into the city.
Apple’s decision to move its UK headquarters to Battersea Power Station will be pivotal to the area’s regeneration, and may be what London needs to secure its spot as the tech capital of Europe.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★★★ |
| Visibility ★★★☆☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
24Craig McWilliam
Chief executive, Grosvenor Britain & Ireland
McWilliam has been on the Grosvenor Britain & Ireland board since 2010 and at the helm since January this year.
Best known for its 300 acres of Mayfair and Belgravia, the Duke of Westminster’s property company also has developments in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Oxford, Cambridge and Southampton.
However it’s another development in London which is taking up much of McWilliam’s time right now: a £500m, 12-acre project in Bermondsey, SE1, where 1,500 new rental homes are planned.
It will be a test for McWilliam, Grosvenor and – given its scale – for the UK’s fledgling build-to-rent market, too.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★★★ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
23Isabelle Scemama
Chief executive, AXA Investment Managers – Real Assets
When Isabelle Scemama was appointed to her new role in February, her track record spoke for itself.
Between launching the firm’s commercial real estate lending platform in 2005, which now manages more than €10bn (£8.8bn) of investment mandates, and its infrastructure lending platform in 2013, she has been instrumental in shaping the global asset management giant.
| HOW DOES SHE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★☆☆☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★☆☆☆ |
22Jim McCaffrey
Senior managing director, Eastdil Secured
Boston boy and former NBA player McCaffrey runs around the market like a whirling dervish trying to put together Europe’s biggest deals, spending as much time in the air as on the ground.
Whether it’s the €12.23bn sale of Logicor or the sale of the Cheesegrater, EC3, his deal roster is unrivalled.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★★★ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★☆☆☆☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
21John Burns
Chief executive, Derwent London
When the sage of Shoreditch collected the EG London award last year, three tables of NextGen property rising stars leapt to give him a standing ovation – a true indication of what it means to stand the test of time.
A power list stalwart, Burns knows what it means to deliver the right buildings for modern occupiers.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★★★ |
20Andrea Orlandi
Head of European real estate investment, CPPIB
Running a £5.4bn real estate portfolio is no small task for anyone, but when that portfolio is part of a £177bn pension fund projected to grow to £220bn by 2020, that task only gets bigger.
Enter Andrea Orlandi.
With a penchant for major regeneration projects and uber prime shopping centres coupled with some serious cash, he continues to be one to watch.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
19Andy Street
Mayor, West Midlands
As mayor, Street will oversee £8bn of investment into the region over the next 30 years at a crucial time, with work on HS2 due to start.
Elected on a mandate to invest in skills, regenerate local high streets and improve the local transport network, he made tackling homelessness a policy priority in his victory speech.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
18Brandon Weber and Nick Romito
Chief product officer and chief executive, VTS
When US-based online leasing platforms VTS and Hightower merged last year in a £300m deal, the traditional property sectors both in the US and the UK sat up and took notice.
A landmark moment for proptech, these two former real estate brokers quickly became the faces of the sector.
| HOW DO THEY SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★★ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★★★ |
17Dan Dejanovich
Head of European real estate, Cerberus
With Ron Rawald moving back stateside in April to become head of international real estate, Australian Dejanovich moved into the private equity investor’s top job in Europe.
A major owner of tertiary shopping centres in the UK, the price it is willing to sell them at will define that area of the market.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Visibility ☆☆☆☆☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★☆☆☆ |
16James Riddell
Managing director, Lone Star Europe
Not yet 40, fresh-faced James Riddell already runs the show for Lone Star in the UK and Ireland.
He heads up the giant private equity investor’s most important European investment, Quintain, responsible for the biggest planned build-to-rent community in the UK.
Expect to him see him at the centre of some of the biggest deals in healthcare and hotels in coming years.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★★☆☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
15Tony Pidgley
Chairman, Berkeley Group
Where Berkeley goes, others follow. Though nearing his 70th year, the housebuilder’s chairman is still the man to watch when it comes to the London housing market.
Despite EU referendum jitters, falling new-build pricing, construction concerns and fears of flipping, Berkeley announced pre-tax profits of £812.4m in the year to April 2017, up by 53% on the year before.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★★ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★☆☆☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
14Ric Clark
Chairman, Brookfield Property Group
Clark heads the world’s second largest investor, and has made Brookfield into the most active developer in the City of London and a major player in the leisure sector, as the owner of Center Parcs.
Expect him to instigate an aggressive growth of Brookfield’s UK student portfolio as well as expand into the PRS soon.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★★ | Connectivity ★★☆☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★☆☆☆ | Value ★★★★★ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
13Janet Yellen
Chair, United States Federal Reserve
“Perhaps the world’s top market-mover, she holds unmatched influence over American monetary policy,” says Forbes magazine of Yellen.
Given that she has the power to affect markets – and the cost of borrowing – on this side of the Atlantic too, that gives her a place on the list ahead of Bank of England governor Mark Carney.
However, her popularity all depends on whether she can endure and survive President Trump’s impulsiveness.
| HOW DOES SHE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★★ | Connectivity ★★★☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★★☆☆ | Value ★★☆☆☆ | Popularity ★☆☆☆☆ |
12Bill Hughes
Head of real assets, Legal and General Investment Management
A man who likes to keep the industry guessing.
One moment he’s developing PRS across the country with more than £1bn of investments, and the next his team is jumping into acquisition finance for the first time, funding the purchase of the Olympia London Exhibition Centre.
We don’t know what Hughes will do next, but we know it’ll take us by surprise.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★★★ |
| Visibility ★★★★★ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
11David Montague
Chief executive, L&Q
Three years after housing associations were slapped with rent controls and Right-to-Buy, the sector has dumbfounded the naysayers and found a new lease of life.
Leading that charge is the chief executive of L&Q, which has renegotiated it debt, merged, upped its private development and done one of the year’s largest land deals.
All of which has shown the incredibly important part housing associations have to play in solving the housing crisis.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★★☆ |
10Brendan Wallace and Brad Greiwe
Founders, Fifth Wall Ventures
Talk about a stealth entry. Most people hadn’t even heard of these guys a month or two ago.
Despite the fact this pure proptech VC fund was set up by former Blackstone real estate advisors Wallace and Greiwe back in 2016, the first that anyone really heard of it was when it launched in May this year having raised a total of $212m (£166m).
Now arguably one of the most powerful investors in the burgeoning real estate tech sphere, LA-based Fifth Wall Ventures is proof that having all of your ducks, or in this case dollars, in a row before making a splash can really pay off.
And it is not just the size of the fund itself that caught the attention of the property sector here in the UK as well as stateside. Backing from property heavyweights including CBRE, Hines and Prologis who, along with other large firms invested more than $100m, cemented the reputation of both the fund and the directors behind it from the off.
| HOW DO THEY SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★☆☆☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
9Andy Burnham
Mayor of Greater Manchester
© Jon Super/SilverHub/REX/Shutterstock
Andy Burnham scored an emphatic victory taking 63% of the vote in the Greater Manchester Mayoral elections.
On some measures he will have more powers than London mayor Sadiq Khan and will take on responsibility for transport, planning and housing, as well as a £6bn social and health care budget.
He has appointed Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese as his new deputy for business and economy, which will have won favours with the existing political figures who have led the devolution process so far.
He is well connected nationally which puts him in a good position to champion Manchester and build on the success of Sir Howard Bernstein.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★★ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★★★ |
8Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London
He has given the property industry short shrift since becoming mayor, but Khan undeniably holds huge sway over London’s development scene.
Not only does he have the power to call in planning applications – and he has already intervened twice in big housing schemes – the mayor oversees the release of all public land under his auspices.
Most assets formerly owned by the London Development Agency have been sold, but Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police still have plenty to go at.
Then there is the fact that Khan is currently drawing up a new London Plan, and is channelling almost £3.2bn into a new Affordable Homes Programme.
Good luck schmoozing this mayor, though.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★☆☆☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
7Adam Neumann
Chief executive, WeWork
This is the man that has changed the way people work across the globe.
Neumann has caught the attention of some of the world’s biggest firms who have joined the long line of business looking to take advantage of his flexible office spaces.
And he is about to start his biggest project yet – the Israeli born entrepreneur has just chosen London for the world’s largest co-working space and is taking 280,000 sq ft at Almacantar’s Two Southbank Place, SE1.
From his humble beginnings growing up on a Kibbutz in Israel, he has managed to create one of the world’s most lucrative businesses which is now valued at $17bn (£13.2bn).
He has hit the big time for the second year running, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★★★ |
| Visibility ★★★★☆ | Value ★★★★☆ | Popularity ★★★★★ |
6Chandra Dhandapani
Chief digital and technology officer, CBRE
If you are in any doubt about the power of tech in the future of property, the woman in charge of the digital strategy for the world’s biggest global real estate agent might make you think again.
Since the former senior technology executive at Capital One Financial joined the agent in 2016, CBRE has made several big, headline-grabbing plays in the proptech sphere.
Earlier this year the group purchased Floored, technology start-up specialising on interactive 3D imaging and in May it was revealed that CBRE was one of the major backers of Fifth Wall Ventures, the LA-based proptech-focussed VC fund.
Based out of the agent’s Dallas office, Dhandapani’s hire does more than just highlight CBRE’s commitment to digital growth and innovation.
It sets a benchmark that other companies are likely to look to match; or emulate at the very least. And this is where she can really wield some serious power.
| HOW DOES SHE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★☆☆☆ | Value ★★☆☆☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
5Helen MacNamara
Director general for housing and planning
With political turmoil swirling over the current government, the role of civil servants could not be more important in carrying through on government policy ambitions.
So whatever happens above her in Westminster over the coming months, MacNamara will be at the forefront of housing delivery and planning policy.
The director general of housing and planning at the Department for Communities and Local Government was one of the key architects of the Conservatives’ housing white paper, and is responsible for all government policy on housing, wielding a budget of £25bn.
She also oversees the Homes and Communities Agency – soon to be rebranded as Homes England – and the planning inspectorate. Hardly a small brief.
MacNamara is often in the right place at the right time: she worked on the Olympic bid at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, and did the planning for the staging the 2012 Olympic Games.
She was also responsible for setting up the Leveson Inquiry.
| HOW DOES SHE SCORE? | Impact ★★★☆☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★☆☆☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
4Jamie Dimon
Chief executive, JP Morgan Chase
When you preside over a financial institution of the scale of JP Morgan Chase, the market hangs on your every word.
So it has proved with Jamie Dimon before and since the EU referendum.
Dimon was one of the biggest global corporate backers of the Remain camp, standing shoulder to shoulder with George Osborne during the campaign.
He warned his bank would have to shift jobs away from the UK in the event of Brexit, a position he appears to have softened since.
However, with 16,000 employees in the UK – and a warning that as many as one in four could be at risk – his reaction to Article 50 negotiations will do much to determine corporate sentiment over the next two years.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★☆ | Connectivity ★★★★☆ |
| Visibility ★★★☆☆ | Value ★★★★★ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
3Anthony Myers
Head of Real Estate Europe, Blackstone
Goldman Sachs was famously once described as “a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money”.
Without having drawn the level of negative publicity that the world’s most famous investment bank has, in a property context there are palpable similarities with Blackstone.
With more property assets under management than any other company globally at €143.2bn (£125.4bn) it is everywhere.
Within property Blackstone is a brand and the company’s success means where it goes others follow and attempt to replicate.
Its scale means that it is capable of shaping sub-markets and setting a benchmark, whether in buy or sell mode.
This has been most clearly seen in London offices, European logistics and most recently serviced offices.
At the controls in Europe is senior managing director Anthony Myers. He is in charge of deploying the €7.8bn Blackstone Real Estate Partners Europe V and the European element of the $15.8bn Blackstone Real Estate Partners VIII, the largest European property fund and largest property fund in history.
Having agreed the eye-watering sale of logistics business Logicor for €12.25bn to CIC in June, again a record deal for Europe, his ability to put the money to good use is unrivalled.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★★ | Connectivity ★★☆☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★★☆☆ | Value ★★★★★ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
2Jeff Bezos
Founder, Amazon
© Victoria Bonn-meuser/Epa/REXShutterstock
It has been a busy year for Bezos who has shot up the Power List to secure second place.
Not only has the Amazon founder set the pace for the evolution of the retail and logistics sector, now Bezos has set his sights on becoming top of the grocery market and has just paid (£10.7bn) to buy Whole Foods.
Amazon’s dominance of online retailing coupled with its new access to Whole Food stores will prompt the retail, grocery, tech and logistics firms to rethink their entire strategies for future success.
This year has also seen Amazon launch new technology which will change the way we shop including its artificial intelligence powered speakers Amazon Echo, its product re-ordering service Amazon Dash and business-to-business venture Amazon Business.
Last year he netted £7bn in UK sales, and is now worth $84.6bn (£66.3bn), meaning he is just $5bn shy of overtaking Bill Gates as the wealthiest person in the world.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★★ | Connectivity ★★★★★ |
| Visibility ★★☆☆☆ | Value ★★★☆☆ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
1Cheung Chung Kiu
Chairman, C C Land
When Hong Kong-listed C C Land bought the Leadenhall Building, EC3, commonly known as the Cheesegrater, for £1.15bn in May it recalibrated the whole London market.
As a result of the deal a market constantly wrangling with itself and self-assessing due to the threats of Brexit all of a sudden had a tangible 225m tall reference point.
“Well, if the Cheesegrater has traded off 3.15% then surely X is worth Y,” is a phrase now uttered in property boardrooms umpteen times per day.
That will not be the end of it either. The company’s chairman Cheung Chung Kiu is hungry for more – a new London office is due to be set up to search for more trophy assets.
As if the feverish competition for London skyscrapers from Hong Kong investors had not set a high enough benchmark, C C Land’s investments have further fuelled interest with a flood of investors asking for the company’s advice on how to enter the UK market or to joint venture with it on its next acquisition.
| HOW DOES HE SCORE? | Impact ★★★★★ | Connectivity ★★★☆☆ |
| Visibility ★★☆☆☆ | Value ★★★★★ | Popularity ★★★☆☆ |
