An established real estate developer with a world-wide portfolio of £2.5bn has been renamed as Osborne and Co as it embarks on an ambitious global growth drive, targeting new developments in Europe, the Middle East, India and South East Asia.
Osborne and Co will be the new and rebranded global delivery vehicle for major property projects in The Middle East, Asia and Africa, previously developed under the GRDI name, and the UK property business of Vanguard Real Estate and other vehicles.
Under the leadership of founding directors Jim Osborne and Conor Osborne and its executive management team, Osborne and Co is targeting a development pipeline with a gross development value (GDV) of £5bn over the next three years.
In the UK, in partnership with Jim Kelly, ex-principal of St Francis Group, and Graftongate, the company is currently developing major office and mixed-use developments in Glasgow and Belfast, with a GDV of £550m as part of a real estate pipeline of circa. £1bn across a number of other UK locations.
Under GRDI, it has just completed HSBC’s new 650,000 sq. ft headquarters in Dubai in the latest of a series of tenant-focused schemes in Asia, the Middle East and India.
As Osborne and Co, it plans to expand its existing operations across the world, focusing on developing, building and owning buildings in partnership with local best-in-class joint venture partners and tenants.
The name change will be effective as of September 10, 2018 with the global headquarters of Osborne and Co now operational in London, complimenting established offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
To support this drive, the company has also announced a series of senior appointments to its executive management team.
Osborne’s executive management team now includes: director Flan McNamara, previously Sellar Group’s construction director for The Shard; chairman Chris Kane, previously head of workspace at BBC; director Wade Cruickshanks, previously global head of retail and design & construction at Citigroup, and development director Will Hean, who is heading Osborne’s Scottish operation. Patricia Hanson, previously at Shelborne Development, also joins as director of communications and marketing.
The rebranding also reflects an increased presence and commitment in Europe with the recent hires supplementing a concerted push into new markets, including France, Denmark, Austria and Germany as well as a continued presence in India and South East Asia.
Conor Osborne, director, Osborne and Co, said: “This important announcement marks another positive step in a transformational period for our company. It equips us well to move towards our wider global vision for growth and to build upon our market-leading reputation. As our client base and investment activities have become more diversified, unifying our business structure will allow us to simplify how our tenant partners and local development partners interact with us.
“Osborne and Co’s occupier-focused approach to design and construction puts tenant needs at the heart of the development to deliver world-class modern workspace. I am delighted to say that this model has enabled us to invest in, develop and own buildings across the world in partnership with local best-in-class joint venture partners, each of whom we are very proud to be associated with.
“As an occupier-focused, build to suit developer, there is appetite for our product around the world. The high-calibre team assembled in our new London hub leaves us well-positioned to be able to capitalise on new opportunities.”
The group is forging ahead with The Waterside, Belfast – a 1.7m sq. ft placemaking development, which will deliver a world-class waterfront locale for the city – after planning consent was granted for Phase 1, a £50m office building, last month. In Glasgow, plans are progressing for 285,000 sq. office on Argyle Street, which will bring back to life a site that has been derelict for nearly two decades.
The partners of Osborne and Co have delivered projects totalling c£2.5 billion across 4 continents, including a circa. 1 million sq ft office building for Citigroup in Manila, HSBC’S new 320,000 sq. ft headquarters in Dubai and Standard Chartered’s Dubai HQ.
