Cavendish Maxwell appoints new advisory board members in line with ongoing KSA expansion

Dubai, UAE: Leading Dubai-based real estate advisory group and property consultancy, Cavendish Maxwell, has appointed two new advisory board members to support its ongoing growth strategy in the Middle East. 

Robin Williamson MRICS and Colin Wright MRICS join board members Jay Grant, Founder of Cavendish Maxwell, Nick Witty, Group Chief Executive Officer and Jessica Taylor, Group Chief Operating Officer as the company expands its service offerings and ventures into new markets, including Saudi Arabia.

With nearly 60 years’ combined experience across multi-sector real estate, asset management and consulting under their belts, Robin, Founding Partner at Williamson Partners Ltd and Colin, Managing Director, Macintyre Asset Management, bring extensive regional and international expertise to Cavendish Maxwell.

Nick Witty, Group CEO at Cavendish Maxwell, said: “Cavendish Maxwell continues to go from strength to strength, with big plans for the rest of the year – and beyond. These appointments to the advisory board reinforce our commitment to the Middle East and to being part of the success and evolution of its multi-faceted real estate offering. Robin and Colin bring invaluable knowledge and insight, and their deep-rooted expertise and experience of the region – in particular KSA – will be pivotal as we execute our growth strategy and expand in Saudi Arabia.”

Robin previously worked with DTZ, which merged with Cushman & Wakefield in 2015, running their Middle East operations for 13 years, and as a Partner at Deloitte, where he established the company’s dedicated Middle East real estate division. After coming out of retirement in 2023, he became Chief Commercial Officer at Osool, the managing agents for the General Organization for Social Insurance’s US$25 billion KSA portfolio. Today, he acts as a consultant and sits on various boards as a non-executive.

Colin has over 25 years’ real estate experience in the Gulf and UK in fund management, asset management, development and investment, primarily in the hospitality, leisure and residential sectors. His career began at Lend Lease, working on various master developments in Western Europe, including Siemens’ ‘Isar Sud’ project in Munich. He moved to the UAE in 2004 to work with Majid Al Futtaim Investments, developing and completing Ski Dubai. Later, he headed Kenmore Property Group’s Middle East business, completing major residential and commercial property transactions in the UAE and Qatar. Colin spearheaded and launched property funds in the Gulf and East Africa as well as incorporating Emirates REIT, the Middle East’s first official Shari’ah compliant REIT. He also held the position of CIO at Select Group, delivering a 5-year business plan to acquire, develop and invest in the UK and European real estate sectors, acquiring hotels, residential and development assets. Colin holds an MBA and studied at Harvard Business School.

Cavendish Maxwell recently relaunched a number of services, including its Built Asset Consulting business, with new services in the pipeline. Earlier this year, the company strengthened its leadership team in the UAE and Oman, with several Director and senior management promotions. The company has also recently been awarded Great Place to Work Certification™ by the global authority on workplace culture and employee experience.

This article was originally published in Zawya.