Nigel Webb joined firm in 1992 and has overseen some of London’s best-known schemes
British Land’s head of development is leaving the company next summer after more than three decades at the firm.
Nigel Webb has helped mastermind some of London’s most notable landmarks in recent years, including the Cheesegrater building, and is charge of the ongoing redevelopment of the Broadgate campus in the City.
He told Building he is stepping down at the end of June after first making the decision to leave over the summer.
Webb, who turns 60 next November, said: “It feels the right time to step back and get a better work life balance. I told [chief executive] Simon [Carter] over the summer but we kept it under wraps until now. I wanted it out before Christmas and to crack on.”
British Land is in the process of appointing headhunters to find a replacement with Webb staying on to help find a successor.
Webb said he was looking at a series of non-executive roles within the property and construction industries with the aim of working two to three days a week.
He is currently a trustee of the V&A museum, in charge of its building strategy committee, and also sits on the Be the Business Construction Productivity Taskforce, a government sponsored charity aimed at improving productivity in British industry. “I’m passionate about how we improve the health of the industry,” he added.
Webb, who sits on British Land’s executive and investment committees, has been head of development since 2003 and was originally brought into the firm in 1992 by former chief executive Sir John Ritblat, who is now its honorary president.
British Land will be looking at both internal and external candidates for the role with the successful candidate in charge of a development programme that has a typical spend of around £1.5bn a year.
Its current jobs include Sir Robert McAlpine’s 1 Broadgate office scheme, designed by AHMM, and another AHMM scheme at Norton Folgate at the Shoreditch end of Bishopsgate which is due to be handed over in phases by Skanska in the second half of next year.
Other developments include McLaren’s PRS scheme at Aldgate and the first phases of its mixed-use Canada Water project which is being carried out by Mace, Wates and Northern Irish firm McAleer & Rushe.
Danish architect 3XN is also working on British Land’s planned 2 Finsbury Avenue office, set to be built by McAlpine, as well as a long-awaited overhaul of its 1960s built Euston Tower.
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