A retail property director from Bristol is less than 100 miles from completing a four-week ultramarathon as part of a campaign to raise money for mental health charity, Boys in Mind. Alma Retail's Tom Keys-Toyer is expected to finish his 630-mile run along the South West Coastal Path this Saturday (30 November), concluding a month-long challenge that started in Minehead, Somerset, on 2 November.

Keys-Toyer is running in memory of his son Sam, who died by suicide in 2020, aged 17. By running the entire South West Coast Path, the property director wants to raise awareness and funds for positive mental health support in boys and young men. He has already more than tripled his initial fundraising target of £10,000, with donations exceeding £32,000 for the Bath-based charity dedicated to tackling the stigma surrounding mental health in young men.

Keys-Toyer described the run as a "physical and emotional challenge" but was grateful for the support he has received, which he described as "overwhelming". He added: "I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who has donated, shared my story and cheered me on. And I hope this challenge has raised the much-needed awareness that it is okay for boys and young men to be vulnerable, to talk and share their worries and that it is so important for them to look after their minds."

To donate to Keys-Toyer's Good Hub fundraising page, click here. You can read more about the charity by clicking on this link. Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org.

JLL has made two senior appointments to its central London property asset management team, with Laura Maxted joining as director and cluster lead, while Amy Rance becomes contract director. Maxted has 12 years of property management experience across regional and central London markets and will oversee key assets and act as a surveyor across the central London portfolio in her new role. Rance brings 23 years' experience in Central London asset management and will spearhead key client relationships, including AXA at 22 Bishopsgate and Old Park Lane Management across London. The Central London PAM team now totals 24 members.

Manchester-based Arrow Global has hired Stefano Giardina as managing director, real estate investments and chief investment officer of its German operations. Giardina joins from Alteris Capital Partners, where he worked for nearly 10 years in the origination and acquisition team, spending time at Citi and Deutsche Bank before that. The appointment comes as the firm steps up its real estate investments on the continent, having bought a shopping centre in Leipzig recently. He said: "My pan-European experience across residential, retail, lodging and light industrial equips me to effectively contribute to the growth of the real estate franchise across the region."

Pioneer Group has recruited Chris Walters, JLL's UK head of life sciences, while his former firm has appointed Chris Valentine as head of strategic clients London and head of science and innovation agency. In his expanded role, JLL said Valentine will focus on delivering strategic leasing advice for life sciences clients and those with specialist technology needs.

Walters, who had led UK life sciences at JLL since 2021, will leave the firm to join Pioneer Group in the New Year. He joined the life sciences team as its investor and developer lead when it was formed in 2019. Partners in Pioneer include major global investors such as Angelo Gordon and Starwood Capital.

Flexible workspace operator Spacemade has made Biren Amin a senior adviser. The firm said Amin "brings with him a remarkable depth of expertise in global real estate, corporate finance and scaling businesses". He was head of international real estate and infrastructure at Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, and has held leadership roles at global firms, such as Goldman Sachs, GIC and AXA IM.

Amin oversaw more than $24 billion in investments, including joint ventures with Blackstone in infrastructure and stakes into hotel groups like AccorInvest, while based in Riyadh. Spacemade said the appointment comes as it looks to accelerates its growth across the UK.

He joins co-founders Jonny Rosenblatt and Dan Silverman who set up the company in 2020, growing the brand across London as well as in Birmingham and Leeds.

Real estate adviser James Andrew International celebrated its 50th anniversary with a reception at London’s Claridge’s Hotel this month. The event brought together clients, colleagues and friends from across the globe to mark the milestone. Property developer Gerald Ronson introduced James Andrew founder, Harvey Soning, who expressed gratitude for the loyalty of the firm’s partners and customers. The business was established in 1974 by Soning, following his early career at Peachey Property Corporation and Guardian Properties (Holdings). Over the years, it has been involved in major property developments and investment projects across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and the US.

Noble Harris, the central London commercial property specialist, has let the first floor of MediaWorks, White City Place, for a second time, nine years after moving in another tenant. In 2015, Noble Harris represented Net-a-Porter in a deal which saw it take 47,650 square feet on the first floor and 23,500 square feet across part of the second. Nine years on, the firm has now advised Imperial College to take the same space on the first floor after it became available, marking a rare "double deal" where the same agent acquires the same space in two successive lettings for two different clients. Matthew Noble, joint founding partner at the consultancy, said he was pleased to "extend his personal affinity" with the building.