Julian Evans, Knight Frank's global head of healthcare, has said the company is always looking for ways to give back to the community after announcing a deal to sponsor Leicestershire County Cricket Club Women’s team. The property firm's logo will appear on the front of the Foxes' kit for the 2025 season, their maiden campaign as a Tier Two county this summer. Knight Frank was also the team's Boundary Club sponsor ahead of the 2021 season.

Evans said in a statement: "We are delighted to sponsor Leicestershire County Cricket Club’s Women's team. Knight Frank believes in the power of sport to inspire individuals, strengthen communities, and foster a sense of unity and achievement. This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to support and give back to the communities we serve, and we’re proud to be part of Leicestershire CCC Women’s journey and success."

Becki Brooker, Leicestershire women's captain, added: "As a Club, we have gone from strength to strength in recent seasons. Playing as a Tier Two county affords us the opportunity to compete at a higher level and further inspire the next generation of young girls to play cricket. We’re extremely proud to have Knight Frank’s backing to help us achieve our goals."

Avison Young has hired Sam Pearson as an associate director in its industrial and logistics team in Birmingham. Pearson spent six years at Gerald Eve, where he began his career as an assistant surveyor, before working his way up to associate. During that time he dealt with national occupiers, developers and investors, and helped to support property funds acting on behalf of clients, including Blackstone's Indurent. Pearson will work with David Willmer, Alex Thompson, Max Andrews and Sam Forster, who are all in Avison Young's Midlands team.

Nido Living, the student accommodation platform owned by CPP Investments, has made Rosemary Boot a non-executive director. Boot will also serve as chair of the business' audit and risk committee and join the investment and ESG committees. She brings more than 16 years of experience as a NED and leader in the investment banking, climate change/clean energy and property sectors. She is also currently a non-executive director for Urban & Civic and Care REIT, Triple Point Energy Transition and Chapter Zero.

Levy Real Estate has recruited Alan Herbert to head Levy Asset Management, who joins from Columbia Threadneedle Investments. In his previous role, he led the business space property management team for seven years, following spells at GVA UK and Lee Baron Group.

The London-focused multisector agency said it is actively looking to grow its asset management business. Managing partner Simon Higgins said: "Alan has joined us to build on our existing commercial and residential mandates. The market has seen much consolidation in recent years, and we see a real opportunity to offer clients a more bespoke and personal touch."

Serviced office provider Gilbanks has appointed Joanna Pawlikowski to the new role of head of commercial. The firm said she brings a "wealth of experience" to the role, having held senior positions with flexible workspace providers, including The Instant Group, in Australia for more than a decade.

Pawlikowski was at The Instant Group for four years, according to her LinkedIn profile, and was an associate director between 2019 and 2021. Gilbanks said the recruit will be responsible for business development and the commercial team as the company expands nationally.

Former European Central Bank president and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi will launch the 2025 edition of Mipim. The show, held at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, will run from 11-14 March. He follows another political figure Sanna Marin, the former Prime Minister of Finland, who opened the global real estate conference last year. Draghi "will shed light on Europe's plans for economic transformation in a rapidly changing geopolitical context", according to the hosts. He was president of the ECB from 2011-2019 and is known for his role in protecting the eurozone.

CoStar News and its sister titles, Business Immo and Thomas Daily, will be attending this MIPIM conference once again this year. Please contact the CoStar News team using the email address at the end of this piece if you would like to speak with any our of journalists at the conference. newsteam@costar.co.uk