Knight Frank has appointed Karen Bowes and Shishir Baijal to its group executive board responsible for the UK and global Knight Frank business.
Bowes (pictured), who previously worked for Barclays Bank and Capital One Financial Services, joins the board in the newly created role of group chief people officer and will also become a proprietary partner at Knight Frank.
Baijal, who is chairman and managing director of Knight Frank India and has spent the last 45 years working across a range of sectors including hotels, leisure and real estate, joins the board to add international experience and “corporate acumen”.
William Beardmore-Gray, senior partner and group chair at Knight Frank, said: “We have developed a people strategy that builds on our partnership approach and ensures that around the world Knight Frank recruits and retains the best talent. Karen Bowes’ experience will help us to build on this key strategy.
“At the same time, following the recent announcement of our new US partnership with Berkadia, we continue to grow our business to suit our clients’ needs around the world. With India now the fastest-growing economy in the world, Shishir Baijal will give us an invaluable insight into business and real estate dynamics across Asia and other emerging markets, as well as his wider non-real estate expertise.”
Bowes added: “Knight Frank is recognised for its strong culture across the business world, and I look forward to building on this to allow our people to continue to give world-class advice.”
Baijal said: “Our regions are at varied stages of development, and a truly comprehensive view for the company is imperative, given the new era of post-pandemic global business. I view joining the group executive board as an enriching move to create a more global orientation to our overall approach.”
