Duo at Blackstone-affiliated firm surpass fundraising target; US advisory firm hires UK retail expert; Socius launches new business

Michael Smith and Jack Stacy, who work for Blackstone portfolio business Revantage Real Estate, have raised more than £150,000 for disability charity SeeAbility after climbing 24 peaks in 24 hours. Smith, who has only around 10% vision and no depth perception, and his colleague Stacy, the chair of SeeAbility, covered 28 miles and ascended 12,000 feet as they trekked across the Lake District, with the route seeing them conquer Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England. Among the companies who sponsored the duo include Revantage Real Estate, Thirdway, Knight Frank and Arthur Cox. You can still donate to their JustGiving page by clicking this link.

US advisory firm The McDevitt Company has recruited Dan Hildyard to head its UK retail business and drive expansion plans. The UK retail expert is a former executive managing director of Harper Dennis Hobbs, where he spent 18 years leading the UK agency business, before leaving in 2022 to run his own company. The McDevitt Company was founded in 1997 by Wade McDevitt and has offices across the US, Amsterdam, and London. It is a full-service real estate firm, with a focus on the retail sector, and whose clients include Urban Outfitters. The business is looking to grow its UK operation and has opened a new office in London.

Olaide Oboh will lead Populate, a new mixed-use "place management" operation being launched by Socius. The developer, whose projects include the Soapworks development in Bristol, said Populate will operate as a specialist consultancy, working on the design and development phase of projects. It is also aiming to partner with UK investors and asset owners. Oboh will retain her place on the Socius board, while the developer's managing director, Barry Jessup, becomes Populate chairman. Oboh said: "Our multi-disciplinary team will pick up the baton from the development process and take a long-term approach to creating vibrant and sustainable places."

Global brokerage Newmark is set to recruit senior duo Paddy Shipp and Rupert Dando in the United Kingdom to help it create a life sciences division, CoStar News understands. Market sources said Newmark is in the process of recruiting Shipp to run the team. He will join from JLL, where he is a director in its office team and head of United Kingdom life sciences agency. CoStar News also understands that Newmark is separately recruiting Dando, an associate director in the London and OxCam Science Markets, development and leasing team at Savills. This week, Newmark confirmed the recruitment of senior German practitioner Marcus Lütgering to lead its efforts building out the firm's German business.

Real estate developer General Projects has made three senior promotions and named four strategic recruits ahead of plans to grow into new sectors. Frederic Schwass is promoted to chief development officer, having initially joined in 2016. Adam Brady is also made head of investment, after joining from the Canary Wharf Group in 2021. Raquel Guirado Sanchez becomes creative director. Rob Selwyn is recruited from Derwent to become asset manager, while joining from the Savills development management team is Joe Peake, who enters as development manager. Sam Stark, previously an analyst at Mileway, and Diogo Vicente Oliveria, who joins from Revantage, are recruited as portfolio analysts.

Players in a five-a-side football tournament organised by UK commercial property investment specialists ADS RE have helped to raise close to £9,500 for Alzheimer’s Research UK. The competition, in its second year, took part at Powerleage Battersea Nine Elms, with members of the ADS RE senior team, including Dom Sidoli, director, taking part alongside other property professionals. Sidoli's brother-in-law, George Sotiri, created the 'Alzheimer’s Heroes' group to inspire people to raise awareness of the disease and money to help find a cure. Members of ADS RE will also be running the London Marathon in April to raise funds for charity. You can still donate to the five-a-side charity football tournament, here.