International real estate advisor Savills has announced the appointment of Steve Chatfield as a special advisor to assist the firm with its wider service provision and expansion into the life sciences sector.
Steve has more than 40 years’ experience in the biopharma industry and the public sector, and at present is advisor to the UK Vaccine Taskforce which has been instrumental in the fight against Covid-19. He is also non-executive and deputy chairman of the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC), where Savills recently advised on the acquisition of a six acre site (2.4 hectares) for VMIC’s 140,000 sq ft (13,006 sq m) government funded research, development and vaccine manufacturing facility at Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire. The firm subsequently advised Brookfield Asset Management on the acquisition of a 50% stake in the campus from U and I Group and Harwell Oxford Partners. Alongside this, he holds the role of non-executive director of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult in Stevenage, a key life science hotspot within the golden triangle of Oxford, Cambridge and London.
Steve’s expertise spans the development, approval and commercialisation of vaccines in both the EU and the US and he has also worked extensively across business development, including licensing of intellectual property and mergers and acquisitions. His research has led to more than 100 peer reviewed publications, as well as a number of patents.
At Savills, Steve will provide the crucial link between life science occupiers, venture capital, academia and the public sector ensuring the firm’s advisory service is tailored specifically to the changing trends within this highly specialist sector.
Over the past 18 months, Savills has acted on more than 250,000 sq ft (23,225 sq m) of transactions for high profile life science occupiers across London and the South East. Other key highlights include achieving planning consent on behalf of Thomas White Oxford, the development company of St John’s College, for Oxford North, the city’s new life sciences district. The firm is also advising Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation on the selection of a development partner for Royal Street, a potential new medtech campus in Waterloo, and NHS Property Services on the major prospective life sciences development at Whitechapel Road, adjacent to the Royal London Hospital. In addition, Savills is advising on the sale of 101 Cambridge Science Park on behalf of LaSalle Investment Management.
Steve Chatfield, Savills life science special advisor, comments: “I am delighted to have this opportunity to help with the expansion of Savills life sciences capability. Finding the right location and scientific ecosystem is essential for life science companies to be able to translate their scientific research into products that can benefit public health. I look forward to working with the team and helping their clients achieve this.”
Simon Hope, executive director and head of global capital market at Savills, adds: “We are very pleased to welcome Steve to Savills and look forward to working with him to further expand our life sciences capability, which remains a key growth sector for the business. We already have significant cross-divisional expertise that has allowed us to make excellent inroads within this space and Steve’s appointment will help to consolidate this further by providing a crucial link between real estate and academia, ensuring we provide the very best advice to our clients.”