Former John Lewis Partnership property head Katherine Russell has launched a new consultancy advising investors, developers and operators on creating and scaling platforms.
Lived. has launched with a major institutional investment manager as its first anchor client. Russell will help develop its residential strategy and strengthen the performance of its existing portfolio. Russell is also advising other businesses, including a private family office and asset managers alongside her board role at Dolphin Living.
Lived. will advise across living platforms, retail estates, mixed-use places and other businesses where property and customer experience meet.
Russell, who has nearly 20 years’ experience across commercial and residential real estate, is best known for leading John Lewis Partnership’s build-to-rent strategy, creating an operating platform from scratch that had nearly 1,000 homes under management on behalf of Aberdeen clients.
Russell said: “There is still huge opportunity in living, but it’s a tough market to make things happen in. Capital is selective and viability is stretched. Operating businesses need investment and scale to succeed, while investors need clear oversight of operational performance or risk leaving significant value on the table. The experience I gained building a living business inside a major consumer brand has enabled me to connect investment ambition with operational performance and a deeper understanding of customers.
“Through Lived. I bring those disciplines together: spotting the opportunity, shaping the plan, bringing the right people round the table and staying with it through delivery. That creates stronger businesses and better options to hold, grow or exit. These are also places where people come back after a difficult day, raise families and begin to feel they belong. Understanding that everyday experience is central to long-term performance.
“To be launching with an institutional anchor client and other work already under way gives Lived. a strong foundation. The business has grown out of real opportunities and conversations about where I can make a difference. I’m proud to be taking that work into this next chapter.”
