Shaftesbury appoints Isabel Thomas in new Head of Offices role

Chinatown and Seven Dials also enhance teams with two Portfolio Manager hires

Shaftesbury PLC, the Real Estate Investment Trust which owns a 16-acre portfolio in the heart of London's West End, is pleased to announce the appointment of Isabel Thomas to the newly created role of Head of Offices, with effect from 26 April 2021.

Offices are an intrinsic part of the mix of uses in Shaftesbury’s villages and Isabel’s appointment demonstrates the Group’s commitment to this segment of the portfolio.

On appointment, Isabel will be responsible for managing the Group’s 0.4 million sq. ft. of office space across the West End, while overseeing several ongoing office refurbishment and development schemes, as the Group continues to adapt its portfolio to meet evolving occupier requirements.

Isabel joins Shaftesbury from Aviva Investors where, for the past five years, she was responsible for maximising the performance of its Central London office assets through the initiation and implementation of development, refurbishment and leasing programmes. Prior to that, she was a Senior Surveyor at Cushman & Wakefield, focused on Central London Occupier Representation.

Shaftesbury also confirms the recent appointments of two additional hires to its growing asset management team, focused specifically on the Group’s popular Chinatown and Seven Dials villages. Both joining Shaftesbury in January 2021, Leonora Forrest was appointed Portfolio Manager for Chinatown, while Phil Canby became Portfolio Manager for Seven Dials.

Brian Bickell, Chief Executive, commented:

“We are delighted to welcome Isabel, Leonora and Phil to Shaftesbury’s growing team. Their extensive asset management experience will be invaluable to the Group as we continue to support our tenants through the challenges of the pandemic, while preparing our villages for the safe return of the workers and domestic visitors, which will herald the start of the West End’s recovery.”

Isabel Thomas, Shaftesbury’s new Head of Offices, said:

“This is a truly exciting time to be joining Shaftesbury; a business that I have always admired. With the end of lockdown now in sight, I look forward to working with the team in driving a revival of office leasing across the West End, which in turn will support the essential recovery in footfall and spending that so many businesses in the community depend.”

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For further information:

Shaftesbury PLC 020 7333 8118

Brian Bickell, Chief Executive

Chris Ward, Finance Director

RMS Partners 020 3735 6551

Simon Courtenay

MHP Communications 020 3128 8193

Oliver Hughes / Giles Robinson / Rachel Farrington / Charles Hirst

Notes for Editors

About Shaftesbury

Shaftesbury is a Real Estate Investment Trust which invests exclusively in the liveliest parts of London’s West End. Focused on food, beverage, retail and leisure, our portfolio is clustered mainly in Carnaby, Seven Dials and Chinatown, but also includes substantial ownerships in East and West Covent Garden, Soho and Fitzrovia.

Extending to 16 acres, the portfolio comprises 611 restaurants, cafés, pubs and shops, extending to 1.1 million sq. ft., 0.4 million sq. ft. of offices and 624 apartments. All our properties are close to the main West End Underground stations, and are within 10 minutes' walk of the two West End transport hubs for the Elizabeth Line, at Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street.

In addition, we have a 50% interest in the Longmartin joint venture, which has a long leasehold interest, extending to 1.9 acres, in St Martin's Courtyard in Covent Garden.

Our proven management strategy is to create and foster distinctive, attractive and prosperous locations. We have an experienced management team focused on delivering our objective of long-term growth in rental income, capital values and shareholder returns. We have a strong balance sheet with conservative leverage.

Our Purpose

Our purpose is to curate vibrant and thriving villages in the heart of London’s West End. Our proven management strategy is to create and foster distinctive, attractive and prosperous locations. We have an experienced management team focused on delivering our long-term strategic objectives, ultimately to deliver a positive, long-lasting contribution to the West End. We have a strong balance sheet with conservative leverage.

Our Values

At Shaftesbury, we have five core values that are fundamental to our behaviour, decision making and the delivery both of our purpose and strategic objectives: being human in how we operate, original in how we nurture talent and think, community minded in our approach to the West End, being responsible and long term in our approach to everything.

Since 2015, Shaftesbury has supported the UN Global Compact principles of sustainability and, in 2019, we integrated the UN Sustainable Development Goals into our sustainability strategy. We have long been committed to operating in a sustainable way. At the core of our sustainability strategy is reusing and improving, rather than redeveloping buildings. In doing so, Shaftesbury extends the useful economic lives of these buildings while preserving the West End’s rich heritage for future generations.

@shaftesburyplc shaftesbury.co.uk