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The Chair of the Property Board and the Director of Property Development will work together on the University’s commercial property development and investment programme.

Liz Peace became Chair of the Property Board in November 2020, and Katherine Rodgers will take up the post of Director of Property Development on 1 February 2021. Together, they will be responsible for the University’s non-operational estate: that is, the parts of the estate not devoted to the core activities of teaching, learning and research. This includes a variety of commercial and residential rental properties, as well as the West and North-West Cambridge developments. The University operates commercial properties to produce vital income that can be used to support its core academic work.

The Property Board provides a new, unified governance body for the non-operational estate, responsibility for which was previously divided between the West and North-West Cambridge Estates Board and the Estates Division. The Property Board reports to the Finance Committee of the University Council.

Liz Peace, the new Chair of the Property Board, has extensive experience of both private and public-sector real estate and currently holds a number of other non-executive director roles, including as Chair of the Greater London Authority’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation and the Sponsor Board for the Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Programme. She was appointed a CBE for services to property in 2008.

The new Director of Property Development, Katherine Rodgers, will be responsible for the practical delivery of the strategy and business plan set by the Property Board. She will be the head of a new Property Group within the Estates Division. Katherine has worked for leading real estate investment and development specialists Grosvenor and Lendlease in the UK and is currently Development Director at Our Place Sustainable Development, where she has been leading the development of new communities across the country. She is also non-executive director on the Group Investment Committee and Group Board for The Hyde Group housing association.

Graham Matthews, Director of the Estates Division, said: “I am delighted to welcome Liz and Katherine to the team. They will bring considerable expertise and skills in shaping property development at the University.”

Anthony Odgers, Chief Financial Officer said: “The University has a number of valuable and exciting development opportunities across Cambridge. Liz and Katherine, together with the members of Property Board and Property Group have an important – and really interesting – role to play in delivering those projects, providing good financial returns to the University as well meeting our objectives around community-building and environmental sustainability.”

Published

26 January 2021

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Katherine Rodgers (left) and Liz Peace (right)