Savills has appointed Wesley Ankrah as social value director as it continues to expand its energy and sustainability division, Savills Earth.
Ankrah joins from developer Dominvs Group, where he led the social value team in delivering social and community value projects and strategies. These contributed to planning consents for projects in the City of London, Nine Elms, Stratford and Enfield.
During that time, the Dominvs team worked with partners to deliver the award-winning community-built Gaia’s Garden at Holborn Viaduct, a project which repurposed commercial space into community gardens open to all.
Prior to Dominvs, Ankrah founded SeerBridge, a social value and community benefit consultancy which worked with clients including Berkeley, Bellway, Galliard, U+I and the Earls Court Development Company.
David Jackson, head of Savills Earth, said: “Wesley has industry recognition for his work in social value and we are delighted to welcome him to Savills Earth. His appointment will bolster our ability to ensure social value is embedded in projects from the earliest stage and thereby optimise the benefits derived from the S of ESG.”
Ankrah added: “My career path into real estate has not been a traditional one and I am driven by a commitment to improving communities by building in social and community benefits from the outset of any development. I am hugely grateful for my time at Dominvs Group and I know that the team I put in place is very well equipped to continue the work we have started. I look forward through my role in Savills Earth to continue to work with them on a strategic level on projects such as the Meadows shopping centre in Chelmsford. The opportunity to join Savills with the scope of clients and projects the business advises on is career-defining, I can see huge potential to generate impact for communities and stakeholders across the UK.”
Ankrah was named Social Value Creator of the Year at the inaugural 2021 Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum. He sits on the Social Value UK advisory board, which is the national membership body for social value, and is a trustee at homeless charity the Care Pack.
To send feedback, e-mail julia.cahill@eg.co.uk or tweet @EGJuliaC or @EGPropertyNews
