Shaftesbury Capital’s COO stands down

Shaftesbury Capital chief operating officer Chris Ward is to step down from the West End landlord after 12 years. Ward became COO following the merger of Shaftesbury with Capco last year. Prior to that he was Shaftesbury’s chief financial officer. He will leave the REIT on 22 December and his role will not be replaced on the board. The REIT said Ward left with its best wishes, and he had “played an important leadership role during his time with the business, including throughout the merger”. Ward said: “The past 12 years have been an amazing journey during which I have worked with some exceptional people and gathered many friends. Shaftesbury Capital is a truly special business with a wonderful portfolio of properties in London’s West End. I am proud to have been involved in its history and in such a transformative transaction this year. I’m pleased with the success we have achieved in integrating the two businesses and I leave the company in good hands, with a clear strategy.” Chair Jonathan Nicholls said Ward had “made an enormous contribution to creating London’s leading central London mixed-use REIT”. To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews Image from Shaftesbury Capital