Cushman & Wakefield has appointed James Woolley to its Student Accommodation valuation team from Knight Frank.
He joins as a Partner to expand the team’s valuation service line and will be growing the existing book of work across recurring fund valuations and secured lending globally.
James brings 11 years’ experience and most recently spent eight years at Knight Frank as a Partner in the Student Property team, managing all recurring fund valuation work for key clients including GCP Student Living, BlackRock, Hines, Lothbury, Aviva, UBS and WP Carey.
He is also involved in delivering secured lending valuation work for development and operational student property single assets and portfolios for all major clearing banks operating within the sector.
Andrew Smith, Head of Student Accommodation at Cushman & Wakefield, said: “I’m delighted to welcome James to the team, he brings a wealth of experience and a first-rate reputation, which will be vital as we continue to grow the valuation business. James will link with our capital markets and consultancy teams to give our clients what they need; market leading advice and insight.”
James Woolley said: “Cushman & Wakefield has a stellar global reach and a fantastic existing platform for delivering client focused services within the student accommodation sector. I’m looking forward to bolstering this offering, collaborating with the existing capital markets, research and valuation functions to continue to build our reputation for delivering excellent service to clients. I’m excited to work with the team principally to develop our recurring fund valuation and secured lending offering across the global platform.”
Cushman & Wakefield’s 17-strong Student Accommodation team has expertise in investment, valuation and consultancy, acting on both sides of transactions in the PBSA (Purpose Built Student Accommodation) market.
Last month, the firm released its annual Student Accommodation report for 2020/21 which revealed that the PBSA market has been remarkably resilient over the last year, despite the pandemic, with a net increase of 21,000 new beds entering the market and a strong development pipeline.