Workman LLP has installed a new leadership structure and announced a host of new partners in the business.

Following founder David Workman’s decision to step away from the business last year, the UK’s largest independent property management and building consultancy firm has put in place a new managing partner and several new vertical heads.

Matthew Pateman has been promoted to Managing Partner, while Richard Hart is Head of Property Management and Richard Taylor is Head of Building Consultancy.

The new leadership structure of Workman – which is a partner-owned business – has begun a new era, with 49 promotions across all functions of the business, including six new partners.

The newly appointed partners are: James Ballantyne (property management, London); Andrew Burton (building consultancy, Newcastle); Adeline Goodheart (building consultancy, London); Zakir Mangera (property management, Manchester); Eleanor Newton (property management, London); and James Simpson (property management, London).

Workman – which operates from 11 UK offices and an 80-strong European hub in Paris – provides property management, building consultancy, property management accounts, facilities management, building technology and ESG expertise.

Matthew Pateman, Managing Partner, said:

“The changes over recent months are the culmination of an extended transitionary process, and mark an exciting change of chapter for Workman. Alongside an established and committed team, we are considering opportunities to further enhance the business, while remaining true to the values and client-service focus that have taken the business from a start-up 40 years ago, to an 800-strong independent firm with a stellar – and growing – client base.

“Our unwavering focus on the specialisms of property management and building consultancy will continue to underpin the success of the business, as we pivot – where relevant – to meet the evolving needs of real estate landlords and their occupiers.”

As part of its forward-looking growth strategy, Workman has also recently opened a new head office in the City of London, merging two separate hubs in the process.

New City HQ

Located at 80 Cheapside, where the firm previously used less than half a floor, Workman’s new space spans an entire floor of the building. This means the firm’s London property management and building consultancy teams can work together more efficiently, while the move delivered significant carbon savings of more than 95% by repurposing an existing fit-out of the office.

The entire building at 80 Cheapside is equipped with the firm’s Intelligent Building Operating System (IBOS). The system – which optimises buildings to significantly reduce the operational energy and carbon emissions of occupiers – has been rolled out across a large number of Workman’s property management mandates. Launched at the zenith of the energy pricing crisis, and now installed across 5m sq. ft of commercial property, IBOS delivered £3.4m savings on clients’ energy bills and 2,500,000 kg of carbon in 2023 alone.

Richard Taylor, Partner and Head of Building Consultancy, said:

“The real estate sector has seen unprecedented changes in the past decade. The combined effects of hybrid working, technological advances, a uniquely challenging economic period – along with accelerating environmental and social pressures – has defined a role for responsive, trusted and specialist consultants.

“During this time, we have invested in complementary services – like our IBOS building tech and our specialist fire safety team – and will continue to invest to help our clients navigate their most pressing business issues. We have achieved this without being swayed by the challenges of wider agency and investment advisory turbulence. We are confident that specialist focus is the road to further growth, and the coming together of our teams at our new workspace in Cheapside will only help on that path.”

Fresh mandates

The firm has also landed several high-profile mandates in recent months, including an instruction from W.RE to provide property management, ESG and placemaking services at the 200,000 sq. ft St Pancras Campus development.

Ares has also appointed Workman to act for a fund that has recently completed acquisitions of the Charlotte Street Estate portfolio and 25 Charterhouse Square, while Northdale Asset Management has appointed the firm’s retail and leisure team to manage the 380,000 sq. ft One Stop Shopping Centre, Perry Barr and Priory Shopping Centre Dartford.

Richard Hart, Partner and Head of Property Management at Workman, said:

“Property management is a people-centric specialism – one that was perhaps traditionally overlooked for surveyors in the early days of their careers. As landlords have become increasingly engaged with the occupier community, social value has become such an integral part of the wish-list that the property management role has grown in both scope and esteem.

“Growing talent within Workman, and guiding careers through this varied and evolving part of the property market, is a real privilege. Over the years, we’ve been rewarded with loyalty and enhanced expertise from our teams, which in turn serves to our clients’ benefit.”

 

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