Railpen, manager of the around £36bn railways pension scheme in the UK, has appointed Paul Hunt, a seasoned senior asset manager with multi-sector experience, to lead the asset management of its 1.9 million sq ft Innovation Cluster in Cambridge. Railpen’s Innovation Cluster is a geographical eco-system comprising real estate, direct investments into innovation companies, and strategic partnerships, with the goal of creating sustainable economic and social growth for the UK at scale and pace, while also delivering long-term returns to its members. Paul has almost 30 years’ experience in real estate portfolio, asset, and development management in the UK, Europe and Australia, spanning offices, retail, industrial and logistics, residential and hospitality assets. He joins from Gaw Capital Advisors, where he was Head of UK Portfolio and a Senior Director, and has also worked at Hutchinson Property Group and Landsec, the latter on its London estate. Paul is the latest in a series of strategic hires by Railpen for its Innovation Cluster. Under the leadership of Railpen’s Head of Property, Matthew Howard, it has created a senior team with the skills, experience and network to drive the successful delivery of the Cluster. The team also includes Emma Goodfood, consultant Head of Leasing, Parminder Singh, Development Director, and Neil Crawford, Senior Development Manager, all of whom have joined Railpen in the last 18 months. Commenting on Paul Hunt’s appointment, Matthew Howard, Head of Property at Railpen, said: “Railpen is one of the UK’s most active investor-developers, and nowhere better exemplifies this than our Cambridge Innovation Cluster. Our ambition is bold, but with the appointment of Paul Hunt alongside Emma Goodford, Parminder Singh and Neil Crawford, we have the very best combination of expertise, experience and drive to deliver our vision.” Paul Hunt, Head of Cambridge at Railpen, added: “This was a hugely attractive opportunity to work on a portfolio that has longevity, sustainability, and is truly customer and neighbour focused. Railpen is fully committed to building on its existing portfolio, making it even more successful by aligning our ambitions with those of Cambridge as a wider eco-system. I have joined a very strong but lean team that has a great mixture of talent and capability. Together, we are going to deliver market-defining assets and environments that will make a lasting positive contribution to our members, Cambridge, and the UK more widely.” Railpen’s Cambridge Innovation Cluster comprises 11 high-quality assets conceived to reflect existing and emerging occupier demands, including offices, life sciences and innovation space. Mill Yard, its unique 180,000 sq ft mixed-use campus adjacent to the station completes in Q1 2027, with Botanic Place, its 325,000 sq ft global standard headquarters development at the heart of Cambridge’s commercial core, completing in Q1 2028. Railpen also has consent for a 112,000 sq ft Grade A office development at 230 Newmarket Road, and the one million sq ft Beehive innovation hub on an adjoining site. These are complemented by existing offices on Station Road, the Bracks solar farm to the north of the city, and direct investments in several Cambridge-based innovation businesses. Railpen is also an active contributor to several strategic partnerships in Cambridge, with Anna Rule, Director of Real Assets and Private Markets, serving on Innovate Cambridge’s Innovation Council and the Cambridge-Manchester Innovation Partnership’s board. Railpen has also created the Glasshouse, a hub for innovators and entrepreneurs in Botanic House, in partnership with Innovate Cambridge. Beyond Cambridge, Railpen is underway with a major refurbishment and development program of its 600,000 sq ft of commercial space in London and Birmingham, focused on repositioning existing assets to meet the flight-to-quality demand from occupiers. In total, it has over three million sq ft of space under construction or consented, making it one of the most active investor-developers in the property sector. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
