Top CREdentials – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode we talk to Melanie Leech, the British Property Federation's chief executive since 2015, about her unconventional route into commercial real estate, what the federation would like to see in the upcoming autumn Budget and the benefits of its merger with two other lobby groups. All this and a Donald Trump quote about real estate feature in the episode.

In this episode we talk to Jeff Pearey, a leasing expert who retired as senior director, UK regional office agency at JLL in August. Jeff reflects on his 40-plus years working in the property industry and outlines the changes he has seen across office markets like Leeds and Newcastle. He also explains what he has in common with petrolhead Jeremy Clarkson.

In this episode we talk to James Dunne, head of UK living at Cushman & Wakefield, about his more than 25 years of experience in the property sector, including his work helping major retailer John Lewis fund and develop its build-to-rent platform. He also discusses the attractiveness of residential assets amid supply-demand imbalances.

In this episode we talk to Nick Maclean, president of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, about the initiatives being introduced by the body to rebuild the trust of the profession after independent reviews into its governance earlier this decade. He also shares his view on the potential implications of the Middle East war on commercial property markets, having worked in the region for 21 years setting up CBRE’s office.

In this episode we talk to Lisa Gledhill, managing director of national partnerships at Muse, about her role in driving the regeneration of towns and cities across the UK after spending part of her career in Singapore. She also discusses how she prepared for management roles and shares tips for staying resilient in a "high-pressured, high-paced" industry.

The theme of suicide is discussed in this episode. If you've been affected by the issues in this podcast, you can call the Samaritans hotline on 116123 in the UK, or internationally, go to befrienders.org.

In this episode we talk to Nicolas Boffi, Mipim director, about his transition from city planning to events planning and what delegates can expect from this year's Cannes meeting, including the launch of a data centre summit and mobile app. He also outlines his vision for Mipim Middle East.

In this episode we talk to John Gravett, chief executive of Cluttons, about his early career working on property acquisitions for telecoms giant Vodafone and his journey to the top of one of the UK's oldest chartered surveyors. He also shares his views on the current state of the planning system and explains how he was inspired by late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.