Panattoni strengthens UK platform with nine senior appointments

Panattoni, the world’s largest privately owned industrial real estate developer, has made nine senior appointments across its UK development, project delivery and investment and finance teams, as the business continues to scale its acquisition and development programme.

The appointments, which bring talent from CBRE, Savills, PwC, Chancerygate, Knight Frank, Boreal IM, Montagu Evans and Interpath Advisory, reflect the depth of Panattoni’s current UK pipeline and its confidence in continuing to invest in its people at a time when many across the sector are consolidating their workforces.

Last year the company acquired 11 sites, secured 250 acres of land adding five million sq ft to its development pipeline, as well as leasing 2.5 million sq ft of space. That momentum has continued into 2026, with four lease transactions already signed in the first quarter.

Development

Three appointments have been made across Panattoni’s UK development platform, covering Southern England, London and the North.

Alex Selwood joins as Associate Director from CBRE, where he was a Director advising industrial occupiers on their property acquisitions. Based within the Southern England and London team, he will focus on new site acquisitions and leasing activity.

Chris Brown joins as Development Director from Chancerygate, where he was focusing on acquisitions in the North of England. He will help lead the expansion of Panattoni’s acquisition and leasing activity across its Northern portfolio.

Will Fennell joins as Development Manager, South East and London, from Montagu Evans, where he was an Associate, and will work closely with occupiers on leasing while supporting speculative development across the region.

Oliver Bertram, Head of Development (UK) at Panattoni, said: “The scale of our UK pipeline demands a development team with the depth and range to execute across multiple regions simultaneously. Alex, Will and Chris each bring a level of experience and market knowledge that will directly support our ability to move quickly on acquisitions and maintain leasing momentum. The breadth of their backgrounds, from occupier advisory to speculative development, reflects the range of what we are building at Panattoni.”

Chris Brown, Panattoni new hire as Development Director, said: “I’m delighted to be joining Panattoni at such an exciting point in its growth. The momentum the business has built over the past few years has been remarkable, establishing itself as the most active industrial developer in the UK and a market leader across multiple regions. It’s a great platform to be part of, and I’m looking forward to contributing to the continued expansion of the Northern portfolio.

Project Delivery

Three appointments have been made to Panattoni’s Southern Project Management Team.

Phil Beato joins as Project Delivery Director, having previously managed development and repositioning projects across Europe at Boreal IM. Tom Bird joins in the same role from Savills, where he was a Project Management Director. Chris Thrippleton joins as Senior Project Manager from Chancerygate, where he focused on project management for industrial developments.

Ian Anderson, Head of Project Management at Panattoni, said: “Delivering at the pace our pipeline now requires means having the right people embedded at every stage of the process, from initial due diligence through to handover. Phil, Tom and Chris strengthen our capacity to do exactly that. Between them they bring experience across complex European development programmes, major project management mandates and industrial delivery at scale, and I am looking forward to what we will achieve together.”

Phil Beato, Project Delivery Director, said: “It’s great to join Panattoni and gain a deeper understanding of the development platform from within such a well-respected global business. The scale, quality and ambition of the pipeline is clear to see, and it’s an exciting time to come on board. Having delivered development and repositioning projects across Europe, I’m looking forward to bringing that experience to the team and supporting the next phase of the company’s growth across the UK.”

Capital Markets

Panattoni has also bolstered its UK capital markets team against a backdrop of renewed investor appetite and activity across the sector.

Phoebe Burdett has joined as Capital Markets Analyst from Knight Frank’s London Capital Markets team and will play a central role in capital formation, supporting investor relations and transaction management across the platform.

Investment and Finance

Two appointments have been made to Panattoni’s finance and investment team, strengthening its capacity to enhance financial structuring, execution and managing an increasingly active development programme.

Garrick Pepper joins as Associate Director, Investment and Finance, from PwC, where he led advisory work across M&A and corporate finance transactions. Garrick is an active contributor to the UK property industry and serves on the British Property Federation’s Logistics Committee and Futures Advisory Board.

Zachary Atkinson joins as Associate, Investment and Finance, from Interpath Advisory, where he was a Manager in M&A, having previously worked at KPMG.

Oliver Choppin, Finance Director at Panattoni, said: “We are delighted to welcome Garrick and Zachary to the team to deepen and broaden our finance and investment function. Their appointments significantly strengthen our capabilities across transaction management, capital deployment and financial operations, ensuring we are well positioned to support the continued growth of the business.

As our pipeline continues to expand, building out a best-in-class finance team is critical. These hires reflect our long-term commitment to disciplined growth, strong governance and delivering value for our investors and partners.”