James Shillabeer is leaving South East and London office agency specialist Bray Fox Smith after 12 years at the firm, including six as an equity director, to join Hanover Green, the London and South East office and retail adviser.

Bray Fox Smith and Shillabeer have been involved in some of the most high-profile leasing deals across the South East in the past 12 months including: 97,000 square feet at Tempo, Maidenhead; 115,000 square feet at Clarendon Works, Watford; the prelet of 80,000 square feet at 500 Capability Green, Luton and a 30,000-square-foot prelet in Richmond.

Shillabeer, who described the decision to leave Bray Fox Smith as "tough", said it was the right time for a new challenge. He will start at Hanover Green later this year after a short break.

Paul Smith, the co-founder of Bray Fox Smith, said: "I would like to thank James for his loyal support over that period as we have had some amazing times, and he has been a key part in the growth of Bray Fox Smith into one of the leading multi-disciplinary property agency firms in the South East."

Shillabeer previously featured in CoStar News' People of Note feature last year, when he discussed the similarities between landing big deals and big carp, with the agent a keen angler in his spare time, read here. If you'd like to be feature in People of Note, please send your stories to lhaynes@costar.co.uk.

Savills has strengthened its global cross-border retail team with the appointment of Thea Rowe, who joins from Bruce Gillingham Pollard. She was there for more than a decade and work across in leasing and tenant representation teams with some of the UK’s largest landlords and leisure brands. Rowe will be in Dubai, strengthening the global retail team’s cross-border advisory in the Middle East, and helping entrants and established names grow their presence in the market. She said: "I’m excited to bring some new entrants into the market, as well as advising some of the local operators as they continue to flourish in this market."

Developer Muse has appointed Simon Harding-Roots as managing director in its South office. Harding-Roots will lead Muse’s southern business, "driving growth and expanding partnerships to deliver sustainable regeneration". He joins from The Crown Estate where he was managing director for London, overseeing a 10 million-square-foot, £8 billion portfolio, including a £2.5 billion programme of major projects. The recruit was also executive director of major projects at Grosvenor Group and held senior roles at Imperial College London and with the Treasury Holdings Group. Harding-Roots will join Muse at the end of the month.

CBRE has appointed Paul Bassi to its London City capital markets team, joining from Savills where he was a director and spent a decade in the central London investment team focusing on the City. Bassi completed transactions exceeding £200 million last year, including notable deals such as the acquisition of The Ivy on West Street, on behalf of Habro, 15-23 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, for Dorrington, and the sale of 1 Bow Churchyard, where he represented Aviva. Rob Jackson, head of London city investment properties at CBRE, said: "Paul’s track record during a period of low investment volumes speaks for itself, and we are excited to have him on board."

Round Hill Capital has named Sandra Burrows as its chief operating officer. Burrows has 17 years of operations, change management and investor relations experience and joins as the firm expand its European living portfolio. She will be based in London and report to founder and chief executive Michael Bickford. The business said Burrows will be responsible for driving "operational improvements, transformative initiatives and ensuring robust governance frameworks that align with and support Round Hill Capital’s long-term growth strategy". She spent several years of her career at Blackstone and 3i in London, working in investor relations and private wealth solutions.

Real estate recruitment firm Madison Berkeley has hired Patrick Webb as an associate director as a key member of their expanding team. The firm said Webb who joins Madison Berkeley from recruitment firm Oyster after three and a half years, will play a pivotal role in strengthening its offering, particularly in the consultancy space. He will focus on all levels of recruitment as well handling senior-level hiring, including director and senior leadership roles. Kristen Zeilerbauer, director at Madison Berkeley, said: "We believe Patrick’s results and contacts within the real estate recruitment market speak for themselves."