Strategy
MVPs in property transformation
Here are some of our Most Valued Players in proptech at the moment, as featured in the PlaceTech Q2 TRENDS report.
Download the full TRENDS report here
Linda Chandler
Co-founder and CTO, Liquid Real Estate Innovation
One of the founders of Liquid, which is emerging as a strong contender for best-in-class in the growing market for consultancies advising property on the tech products they need. Chandler spent 10 years at Microsoft, latterly smart cities lead based in Singapore before relocating back to the UK to set up Liquid in late 2017. Liquid introduces an innovation lab approach to clients to seek out their pain points and devise the best solutions that suit their characteristics.
Matt Gough
Director of innovation, Mace
Having joined Mace in 2011 to lead the company’s work-winning activity, Gough was promoted in February 2017 to a role where he
owns the company innovation strategy, supporting Mace to realise its ambition to be the catalyst for the next evolution of the construction industry. Gough played an important role in some big wins that led to top line growth of Mace’s construction business from £600m to £2bn in 2017.
Vinay Goel
Chief digital product officer, JLL
JLL continues its impressive charge to try and break away from the pack of global surveyors talking tech with action over words, investing heavily in the JLL Spark fund and now hiring ex-Google executive Goel to work alongside clients to develop new solutions. An exciting development as property shows it can hire people without traditional estates management qualifications or backgrounds in the sector.
Ann Clarke
Joint managing director, Claremont Group Interiors
Spotted and articulated the move to agile working years before many in the office market and the impact changing values among workers would have on new office design, championing productivity, health and happiness at work, encouraging tech adoption among corporate occupiers around the UK. Her brilliant presentation at Place North West’s Future of the Workplace event in June is worth checking out for an introduction to the subject: www.slideshare.net/placenorthwest
Mario Bozzo
Director, IBI
Toronto-headquartered IBI is charging ahead: smart cities projects in India, buying mobile service providers, introducing tech to the health service in the UK. No-one eptimosises the firm’s outlook better than Bozzo. Co-founded the group’s UK practice from startup phase 22 years ago. Works across the transport, health, education sectors focused around the implementation of digital and operational solutions. Member of the BSi Cities Standards Institute, which is developing smart city standards for the industry.
Laura Acklandiene
Head of business development + global expansion, Equiem
Equiem agreed a 12-month trial with institutional investor M&G Real Estate for its digital property management system at The Heights business park in Weybridge, Surrey, before rolling it out around the country if successful. Equiem’s platform helps property owners engage with tenants, understand them better and provide services such as digital concierge, news, events, space bookings and other value-adding amenities.
Asiya Jelani
Business development director for demand responsive transport, Arriva
Responsible for the creation and launch of ArrivaClick, described as ‘part-Uber, part-bus’. After a successful year’s pilot in Sittingbourne, Kent, next will be a larger test in Liverpool starting shortly. Passengers use an app to call their nearest bus and can track, pay in the same way as on Uber. The average occupancy has been 4.8 people per bus; 7 is needed to make the scheme viable but Arriva is confident and has pumped £1m in so far.
Bridget Rosewell
Commissioner and chair of autonomous vehicles committee, National Infrastructure Commission
Rosewell leads the National Infrastructure Commission’s work advising UK Government on roads for the future. An ongoing
competition has spurred Arup, Aecom and councils in York and Leeds into action creating smart traffic lights, changeable use of kerbsides, segregated driverless zones, and sat-navs learning through artificial intelligence design roads fit for driverless cars.
Related Articles
Comment
Tackling sick building syndrome: technology’s role
In 2023, as low as 43% of office occupancy is the new normal. This is widely seen as the after-effect of the pandemic and the shift towards hybrid or remote work, writes Melis Karabulut of Spaceflow. Yet, here is another reason why employees may not be willing to return to the office that landlords neglect: the sick building syndrome.
Markets
Pi Labs unveils latest cohort
Global VC Pi Labs has kicked off its 2023 Growth Programme, backing five early-stage start-ups that have developed technological solutions that are expected to positively impact the way businesses and societies interact with the built world.