Workspace appoints new head of portfolio management

(Sharecast News) - Workspace Group announced the appointment of Jessica Berney as head of portfolio management and a member of its executive committee on Thursday, effective 1 July. The FTSE 250 company said Berney was joining from Schroders Capital, where she had spent the last 13 years, most recently as fund manager for UK strategic partnerships.

In that role, she was responsible for driving the growth of Schroders' UK real estate business.

Prior to Schroders, she worked for nearly seven years at Invista Real Estate, where she held the position of director with responsibility for four balanced funds and all retail sub-sectors.

Workspace said Berney's appointment would strengthen its senior leadership team as it focussed on portfolio performance and long-term value creation.

"We're delighted to welcome Jessica to Workspace," said chief executive officer Lawrence Hutchings.

"There is a significant long-term structural growth opportunity ahead of us and Jessica will play a critical role in ensuring Workspace is positioned to capture it.

"Her extensive property experience will give us a fresh perspective as we look to optimise our portfolio, improve capital allocation decisions to maximise returns and further enhance our characterful buildings to make them even more aligned to the evolving needs of London's SMEs."

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.