British Land Appoints Joanne McNamara as New CEO

British Land has appointed Joanne McNamara as CEO, bringing over 20 years of experience from Oxford Properties to lead its £10.1 billion portfolio from November.
 

British Land: new CEO appointed

• British Land hires Joanne McNamara as CEO, and is set to start by November.
• McNamara brings over 20 years of experience to the role

Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown:

“After five months of searching, British Land has found its new CEO in Joanne McNamara, who is set to join by the end of November at the latest. Joanne has over 20 years of experience in the sector, with 16 of those at her current employer, Oxford Properties - a business well known to British Land as a joint venture partner on its Leadenhall Building development.

During her time at Oxford, McNamara has risen up the ranks to Executive Vice President for Europe and has been instrumental in creating an £8 billion portfolio of office, retail, logistics and residential assets. This puts her in good standing to steer the ship on British Land’s £10.1 billion of similar assets, and the announcement of a new CEO removes a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the group.

Looking ahead, British Land looks well-positioned, with occupancy rates sitting high and good exposure to the science and technology sector, where strong demand from AI companies has been a big tailwind. The group’s finances remain strong, with sufficient funding to support future growth as developments make a comeback and to maintain a respectable 6.2% dividend yield for income-focused investors.”