LondonMetric Property has appointed Darren Richards from British Land to the newly created role of chief investment officer (CIO).
Richards (pictured), who was head of real estate at British Land, joined the developer in 2005 and has served as a member of its executive committee since 2014. Prior to joining British Land, Richards worked at Pillar Property alongside a number of current LondonMetric employees, including CEO Andrew Jones.
In his new role, he will report directly to Jones and work alongside the company’s senior leadership team to oversee LondonMetric’s growing property portfolio.
Jones said: “Darren is an influential and experienced real estate player and he will play an important role in the next phase of LondonMetric’s journey. It’s great to get the band back together.”
Earlier today, British Land announced it has appointed Kelly Cleveland, currently head of strategy and investment, to a new combined role of head of real estate and investment. She joined British Land in 2011 and joined the company’s executive committee in 2020.
Simon Carter, chief executive of British Land, said: “Aligning our asset management, leasing and investment activity has become ever more important as we actively recycle capital and seize the opportunities emerging in our markets. Kelly has a wealth of real estate experience, leading key transactions such as the sale of our Meadowhall stake earlier this year and our joint venture partnerships with the likes of Allianz and AustralianSuper. She has also been instrumental in growing our presence in retail parks as we have doubled down on this attractive sub-sector.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Darren for his unwavering support and significant contribution to the business over nearly 20 years and wish him the very best in his new role.”
