Knight Frank, one of the world’s leading property agencies and consultancies, said it has hired a new property asset management expert to strengthen the service line in the Middle East region.

The company has a strong presence in the Middle East with offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The group advises clients ranging from individual owners and buyers to major developers, investors and corporate tenants.

Simon Nash joins Knight Frank as a partner to head up the property asset management team, and will help the company meet the increasing demand from developers, property owners and occupiers with requirements for both operational asset management and advisory services.

He brings more than 14 years of experience in providing real estate solutions to landlords and occupiers. Having worked in the Middle East for seven years, Nash has provided clients with advisory and operational asset management services on commercial, residential and retail schemes throughout the region.

"We see the expansion of our Middle East Property Asset Management business as an exciting challenge. In recent years, there has been a clear shift in the region from the “closed shop” approach of property owners managing their assets in-house, to appointing independent management consultancies who bring with them new and innovative asset management models," stated Nash.  

"What excites us most is the prospect of not only being involved with clients who are already looking at new ways of managing their assets, but also of gaining exposure to those property owners still behind the curve who could benefit from our experience and approach to asset management," he added.

James Lewis, a partner, said this expansion of the platform was the result of client requirements. "We are delighted that Nash has joined the team to co-ordinate the delivery of this complementary service line. He is well versed in international best practice, delivering both operational and consultancy services to derive maximum performance from client’s portfolios," he added.-TradeArabia News Service