As reported by Head Partner Ashley Hudson in April, Knight Frank completed the move to a new office at 103 Colmore Row as the partnership continues to expand its business in the Midlands. The firm has seen record revenues and profits generated by the Birmingham office in recent years and continues to invest in its future with a number of recent senior hires, promotions and the recent addition of four talented graduates.
Over the past nine months, the Capital Markets team has doubled in size with two new additions, including the most recent hire of Ben Voss-Wood as Partner. The business has also strengthened its Consultancy arm, most notably with Alan Vandrill joining the Projects and Building Consultancy team as Associate, whilst fellow starter Elle Gray also joins at Associate level to strengthen the office’s Residential Regional Investment Team.
Birmingham has also taken on four new graduates from this year’s UK intake; Bobbi Sandhu has joined the Capital Markets team, Sam Benson who will be working in Office Agency, Richard Orji has joined the Projects and Building Consultancy team and Quiana Higgins in Residential Development. This takes the total number of graduates beginning their real estate careers in the Birmingham office to nine.
Nationally, Knight Frank has welcomed a record 82 graduates to join its 2022 programme across the firm’s UK business. This year’s intake is 38 percent larger than last year’s then-record cohort of 59 graduates, a significant increase reflecting the firm’s ongoing strategy to invest in the very best emerging talent in the industry and continue its growth and evolution as a forward-thinking partnership.
Approximately 23 percent of the graduates hired were recruited via Knight Frank’s summer internship and work placement programme, which the company has expanded in recent years to create more pathways to working in the real estate sector.
The Birmingham office has also made significant internal promotions with Edward Kennerley of the Midlands Logistics and Industrial team made Partner. Pav Panesar and Ed Price of the Automotive National team were promoted to Associate level, while Kate Horton was made Associate on the Residential team. Dan Winter was also promoted to Associate having joined the Residential Development team two years prior.
Commenting on the intake of graduates across the UK, William Beardmore-Gray, Senior Partner & Group Chair at Knight Frank, said: “People are at the heart of Knight Frank’s business, and we are deeply committed to investing in our employees to drive our industry forward in terms of professional excellence and equal opportunity. Central to this is the firm’s dedication to supporting early careers through nurturing emerging real estate talent who will shape the future of the firm.”
Ashley Hudson, Partner and Head of Knight Frank’s Birmingham office, commented: “We are thrilled to have boosted our graduate intake here in Birmingham acting in support of our short and long-term visions for the Midlands business. We are of course cognisant of the volatility in the market, with economic uncertainty on the horizon, however we believe in our vision for the future of the business and have confidence in the strength of our team going forward. Through the latest graduate additions, senior hires, and internal promotions, we are investing in the future of Knight Frank Birmingham, with a key focus on our diverse young professionals who will help bring about the positive changes, fresh ideas and technological advancements we all want to see shape Knight Frank’s future”