Malls owner SGS names new CEO

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jul 29, 2024

There have been a lot of leadership and business developments among Britain’s major retail landlords and operators of late and Monday brought another, with news that SGS Group will have a new CEO as of the end of September. 

Claire Barber will take the helm at the business that owns four major UK shopping and leisure destinations — Lakeside, atria Watford, Nottingham’s Victoria Centre and Glasgow’s Braehead.

Her appointment comes after SGS’s “landmark recapitalisation” earlier this year, which included £445 million of new debt from Lloyds Bank, “securing the long-term capital structure of the group’s four prime assets".

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She joins from FTSE 100-listed student accommodation developer Unite Group, where she was group asset management director, responsible for setting the asset management and investment strategy for the £8.5 billion portfolio. She also led a major business transformation project. 

Before Unite, she was director of asset management for three years at Cadogan Estates and spent 13 years as head of retail asset management at another key UK retail landlord, British Land.

SGS’s non-executive chairman Jaap Tonckens said: “She brings the perfect blend of sector knowledge and experience to oversee the next phase of SGS’s journey – this is an exciting time for the business and we are delighted to have her on board.”