James Saunders to become top man at Wembley Park developer Quintain

James Saunders

Press release from Quintain (unedited so you can relish the hype!)

Quintain Limited has appointed James Saunders as Chief Executive Officer effective October 21^st, 2019, succeeding Angus Dodd, who is stepping down after serving as CEO since June 2016.

Under Angus’ leadership, Quintain has become a leading vertically integrated developer, operator and owner of BtR (Build to Rent) and mixed-use assets and is responsible for the ongoing transformation of Wembley Park in north-west London.  James, who has served as Chief Operating Officer for the last eight of his twelve years at Quintain, has led on the repositioning of Wembley Park from an event destination to an exciting cultural neighbourhood for London, and takes up his role as the company explores further growth opportunities.

 Olivier Brahin, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Quintain Limited, said:

“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Angus for leading the transformation of Quintain since he moved from Lone Star in 2016. Thanks to him and the team he has built, the 85-acre site surrounding Wembley Stadium has become one of the largest urban regeneration projects in Europe with over £2 billion invested to date and another £1 billion expected by 2022. 

“I would also like to congratulate James on succeeding Angus.  James has the right mix of experience – both inside and outside the property sector – to continue building on Quintain’s success to date and effect a truly seamless transition.  A former consumer marketing executive, as Quintain COO James created the strategic direction for marketing, communications and place making that has led to dramatic reconsideration of the Wembley Park area.  We look forward to his leadership as Quintain accelerates its development of operating subsidiaries, Tipi, the company’s build-to-rent platform, and Wembley Park, its estate and asset management vehicle.”

Angus Dodd, out-going Chief Executive of Quintain Limited, said:

“I’m very proud of everything we’ve achieved during my time as CEO and I’m pleased that the Board has appointed James, who has played an instrumental role in establishing the firm as a vertically integrated developer operator, to succeed me.  With Quintain poised to accelerate the development of our operating businesses, in addition to our development and regeneration arm, the Board and I have every confidence that James will continue to extend our track record as one of the most innovative real estate developers and operators in the UK.  I wish him and the Quintain team all the best.”

James Saunders, incoming Chief Executive of Quintain Limited, said:

“This is an exciting moment in Quintain’s growth trajectory, and, even more importantly, in the transformation of London.  The most rewarding part of our work is the creation of great places to live, work and visit and the communities we have helped kick start in Wembley Park and beyond as we work hard to expand the range and quality of housing options in the areas where we operate.  I want to thank Angus and the Board for the opportunities to date and I am very excited about working with our great team to realise the growth opportunities ahead.”

ABOUT JAMES SAUNDERS

James has served as a main board director of Quintain Ltd since 2017 and is responsible for place making and estate management at Wembley Park, commercial partnerships, group marketing, IT, and health and safety.

In his role as Chief Operating Officer, James led the repositioning of Wembley Park from an event destination to an exciting new neighbourhood for London. He created the strategic direction for marketing and place making that has led to dramatic reconsideration of the area as an exciting location to live and as a destination for a myriad of leisure and retail outlets. 

Alongside overseeing the Wembley Park estate operations team with responsibility for management of The SSE Arena, Wembley and London Designer Outlet, he also managed key stakeholder and commercial partner relationships including with the GLA, the London Borough of Brent, Wembley Stadium, the FA, AEG and Realm.

Prior to joining Quintain, James was the Chief Marketing Officer at The Cloud Networks, a consultant to Vodafone Europe and Brand Director at Coca-Cola Great Britain.  He holds a Sloan Masters from London Business School and a Law Degree from Cambridge University and is a barrister-at-law.