Private Family Office – Head of Real Estate
A private family office with a £1bn Central London portfolio across hospitality, retail, and mixed-use assets engaged Rockbourne to appoint their first Head of Real Estate.
The founder’s daughter was stepping into a leadership role, taking on both day-to-day management and long-term strategy of the estate, supported by trustees, protectors, and her father. With the long-serving in-house lead preparing to step away, this was the family’s first external hire at this level. Early discussions highlighted a gap between the initial vision for the role and the business’s real needs. We worked closely with the principal and their advisor to shape a clear brief, align stakeholders, and define success, helping to clarify both the technical expertise and behavioural qualities required to lead the portfolio into its next chapter.
We began with a performance-based briefing alongside the principal, their advisor, and key stakeholders to define success — clarifying technical requirements, cultural fit, and the softer skills needed to thrive in a private, unstructured environment. From there, we mapped 116 candidates across legal, transactional, asset, and development backgrounds, created discreet attraction materials, and managed the staged release of sensitive information. The process produced a shortlist of 11 highly capable individuals, each assessed through behavioural and technical evaluations, including live case studies and project-based presentations. Throughout, we ran a structured process, shared real-time data on diversity, motivations, and market feedback, advised on interview design, and provided ongoing guidance on contracts, employment law, salary benchmarking, and structuring of bonus and benefits.
The client noted they would have gladly hired all 11 shortlisted candidates — a clear reflection of both the quality of the process and its alignment to the brief. Ultimately, they appointed a proven real estate leader with prior family office experience, who is now driving strategy, managing the transition, and shaping the next chapter of value creation for the portfolio.
What we thought we wanted and what we actually needed turned out to be two very different things. Our business is going through succession changes, and the team at Rockbourne demonstrated an unrivalled ability to truly listen to our challenges. With their deep understanding of the market, they were able to properly consult us on each step and help us define what success should look like from the start. They ran a smooth, structured process that left us with an unexpectedly difficult decision - we would have hired everyone on the shortlist. The supporting material, transparency, and data they provided were exceptional, enabling us to craft an attractive and market-informed compensation package. The team went above and beyond, assisting with referencing, candidate management, and every step of the journey. We would strongly recommend them to any family office looking to make a critical leadership hire. They genuinely felt like an extension of our team.”
