Opus Land’s Managing Director, Richard Smith recently took part in Trowers & Hamlins penultimate podcast from their Birmingham 10-year series. In the podcast Richard speaks about the changing landscape of the industrial industry in the Midlands as well as the impact Brexit has had on the market and how land supply issues can be rectified. To listen to the podcast please click here
PROPERTY DIRECTOR – INVESTMENT COMMITTEE
Charles joined Fiera Real Estate in 2013 and was promoted to Head of UK Real Estate in July 2022. He is responsible for the management of the UK business and the successful execution of its business strategy. Prior to joining Fiera Real Estate, Charles worked in the Corporate Finance team at Ernst & Young where he focused on capital raising, M&A and restructuring. Previously, Charles was at BNP Paribas Real Estate where he focused on buying and leasing Central London assets. Charles is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and is a member of the Investment Committee.
PROPERTY DIRECTOR – INVESTMENT COMMITTEE
Patrick joined Fiera Real Estate in 2020, where he is the Head of Corporate Investments, responsible for Fiera Real Estate’s investment in its property company network supporting their growth and profitability. Before joining Fiera Real Estate, Patrick has held positions at Catella Apam, CBRE IM and JLL, where he gained experience across direct and indirect investment and fund management across Core, Core plus and Value Add strategies. Patrick qualified as a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and is a member of Fiera Real Estate’s Investment and ESG committees.
JOINT MANAGING DIRECTOR
Victoria is the Joint Managing Director at Opus Land, involved in development and asset management with over 20 years of experience. Prior to joining Opus, Victoria was in London for ten years, of which seven were spent at King Sturge (now Jones Lang LaSalle) and subsequently over three years at Palmer Capital (now Fiera Real Estate) in commercial investment and fund management. Victoria is responsible for the procurement of new opportunities and the delivery of those through the development pipeline. In addition to that Victoria agrees the general management of Opus and the strategic direction of their portfolio and business.
victoria.turnbull@opusland.co.uk
Mobile : 07789 982 833
DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT
John is a Chartered Surveyor with over 30 years’ experience in the Midlands property market. He has previously specialised in the Office sector, but more recently in his role as Head of Development for Savills in the Midlands, he has advised on mixed use and residential projects. John is responsible for the procurement of new opportunities and the delivery of those projects through the development pipeline.
Mobile : 07836 521 472
JOINT MANAGING DIRECTOR
Richard has over 35 years’ experience in the commercial property market in the West Midlands and West Yorkshire, having set up the well-respected commercial agency Grenville Smith & Duncan with Andrew Duncan in 1991, which was sold to CBRE. Richard is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the company’s existing development pipeline and delivering new facilities for occupiers on our existing schemes.
Mobile : 07831 136 300
PROPERTY DIRECTOR
Steve joined Fiera Real Estate UK in 2006 from Henderson Global Investors (now Nuveen) after qualifying at DTZ Debenham Tie Leung (now Cushman & Wakefield). Steve is responsible for Fiera Real Estate investment in the property company network supporting their growth and profitability. Steve is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
ESG STRATEGIES & INITIATIVES
Jessica joined Fiera Real Estate in 2020 and is responsible for the firm’s ESG strategies and initiatives across its investments, developments and operations. Prior to Fiera Real Estate, Jessica worked in the Commercial Real Estate Credit Team at RBS (now NatWest) where she was responsible for environmental and sustainability risk processes. Previously, Jessica was at MSCI Real Estate, where she led their global sustainability benchmarking initiatives, and at the Public Investment Corporation Real Estate Asset Managers (PICREAM) in South Africa, where she managed a portfolio or retail assets in underserviced townships. Jessica currently sits on AREF’s ESG and Impact Investment Committee.
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Tom is a Development Director and Chartered Surveyor at Opus Land in the development and asset management team. Prior to joining Opus, Tom was based in Birmingham, specialising in regional investment at GBR Phoenix Beard. Tom has a detailed understanding of the Midlands property market, investors and occupiers, and is responsible for the new and existing development projects within Opus Land.
Mobile : 07825 602 092
HEAD OF CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANCY
Tom is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with over 15 years’ experience in the construction industry. He has worked across a range of projects nationally, with a focus on both the East and West Midlands. Tom has a proven track record of providing Quantity Surveying and Project Management services on schemes in several sectors including industrial, commercial, retail and residential. He is responsible for the successful delivery of the company’s construction function and the consistently high quality of buildings developed by the company.
Mobile : 07763 593 273
ASSOCIATE – PROJECT MANAGER
Ian is a Chartered Project Manager with over 15 years’ experience in the construction industry. He has worked across a wide range of projects across the country and also within Ireland; covering a broad spectrum of sectors including commercial, industrial, retail and high rise residential. Ian has a proven track record in Project Management; with a strong focus on generating a collaborative team approach to deliver high quality projects.
Mobile : 07542 031 119
PERSONAL ASSISTANT
Jo has worked at Opus Land since the business was first established in 1999. As well as providing the executives with administrative support, Jo is in charge of managing marketing for the company. She is on hand to ensure the smooth operation of the business and works to provide assistance to all members of the team as and when required.
PERSONAL ASSISTANT
Charlotte has worked at Opus Land since 2005 and has an extensive knowledge of the company. She manages the front of house function at Opus Land and ensures the company operates as efficiently as possible and assists the company’s clients as and when necessary.
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Ben is a Chartered Town Planner with over 20 years’ experience working in the property sector. At his previous role at M7, Ben helped to deliver the redevelopment of The Green in Solihull, a major 50 acre brownfield redevelopment scheme. Before M7, Ben worked for Endurance Estates, where he was responsible for identifying, securing and delivering sites for residential development. Ben was instrumental in delivering a scheme for 1,200 houses, a school, care homes and a local centre in Ely, Cambridgeshire. Ben began his career working in consultancy, progressing to the role of Director with both DTZ and Turley Associates, and acted on behalf of a number of national clients across a wide range of sectors.
HEAD OF SCHEDULING
Furgie’s scheduling skills are second to none. She knows to the second when lunchtime is (or should be) along with the ever coveted nap time. Like every competent manager, however, she knows adjustments may be needed and can always find time for additional walks in an ever busy schedule.
ACCOUNTS
Julia is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor who oversees the finance function at Opus Land via Curo Chartered Accountants, a partner. Previously Julia was at KPMG, where she consulted on tax for owner managed business clients.
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Alex is the Non-Executive Director of Opus Land and Chief Executive of Fiera Real Estate. Alex served as an officer in the British Army before starting his financial career with Credit Lyonnais Securities in 1997. He then completed an MBA at London Business School before joining Sabre Holdings’ European Corporate Finance team. He joined Fiera Real Estate in 2003, initially charged with creating the fund management business within Fiera Real Estate. He was promoted to Chief Executive in 2008 and is a fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. Alex assists Opus Land with the Company’s relationship with both existing and future investment partners.
CHAIRMAN
Ray is the Chairman of both Opus Land and Fiera Real Estate (formerly known as Palmer Capital) and has specialised in development and investment for 50 years. He became Chief Executive of Lambert Smith Hampton in his early 20s and remained in this position until 1992 when he established Fiera Real Estate. Ray is responsible for overseeing Opus Land’s operations and for pooling the combined company’s resources and funding as required.
LEGAL COUNSEL
Emma qualified as a lawyer at Frere Cholmeley Bischoff before specialising in real estate at the niche Mayfair property practice, Forsters. In 2000, Emma left private practice to develop her corporate and commercial skills as UK legal counsel to Ascent Media. Emma joined in 2007 and provides Opus Land with access to in-house legal advice to support the company’s executives on both transactional and corporate matters.