Savills appoints a new chief ahead of big office move
PROPERTY consultancy Savills has appointed a new head of office in Birmingham and announced plans to relocate.
Long-serving chief Barry Allen will step down from the role at the end of November, to be replaced by Simon Farrant.
Mr Allen has been head of Savills in Birmingham for the last 20 years but will focus on working with the development team following a handover period.
He began his career in Birmingham in 1980 and established Savills’ office in the city in 1998, overseeing its growth from the original team of four into one of the firm’s largest offices outside of London.
He has also built a 20-strong development team in the Midlands over the past two decades.
Mr Farrant was previously managing director at GBR Phoenix Beard for eight years, overseeing its offices in Birmingham, London and Leeds, before the property consultancy’s acquisition by Savills last year.
Prior to this, he established the lease consultancy department at Phoenix Beard, which he joined in 1987, and played an instrumental role in the firm’s merger with GBR in 2010.
In addition to the change of leadership, Savills has unveiled plans to relocate its 156-strong Birmingham team from two separate offices, in Edmund Street and Newhall Street, to the top floor of 55 Colmore Row by the end of the year.
The firm has agreed a 15-year lease for 16,956 sq ft at the former home of law firm Gowling WLG where IM Properties has been carrying out a £30 million renovation.
Mr Allen said: “I am immensely proud to have been at the helm of Savills Birmingham since establishing the office back in 1998 and overseen its remarkable growth into one of the region’s largest and most successful real estate practices.
“The acquisition of GBR Phoenix Beard last year further strengthened our position in the market and I am pleased to be handing over the baton to Simon.
“I will use this opportunity to focus entirely on my development role, supporting clients to deliver excellent results for the numerous high-profile schemes in which we are involved within the Midlands and across the UK.”
Mark Ridley, chief executive of Savills UK & Europe, added: “The Birmingham market continues to perform strongly and we are extremely pleased to welcome someone as highly regarded as Simon as head of office.
“Barry has made a huge contribution to Savills over the last 20 years and done a truly fantastic job at building our team in Birmingham.
“I would like to thank him for the leadership he has given our Birmingham office as well as his continued role in developing our Midlands business.”
Mr Farrant said: “This is an exciting time for Birmingham, which has established a truly global profile, and we are extremely wellpositioned to advise on the growing opportunities in the city and wider region.”