CEO Today United Kingdom Awards

69 www.ceotodaymagazine.com CEO Today United Kingdom Awards 2019 REAL ESTATE DAVID SLEATH CEO of Sergo FIRM PROFILE We own, develop and manage warehouse and industrial properties for our customers in the UK and Continental Europe. SEGRO plc (formerly known as Slough Estates) is a property investment and development company. It develops and invests in property located in the UK and Continental Europe focusing on edge of town flexible business space. The firm switched to Real Estate Investment Trust status when REITs were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It is the largest industrial property company in Europe and is the owner of the Slough Trading Estate - the largest trading estate under single ownership in Europe. SEGRO is a UK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), and a leading owner, asset manager and developer of modern warehousing and light industrial property. Our goal is to be the best owner-manager and developer of warehouse properties in Europe and a leading income-focused REIT. Our strategy for achieving this goal is to create a portfolio of high quality big box and urban warehouses in the strongest markets which generate attractive, low risk, income-led returns with above average rental and capital growth when market conditions are positive, and are resilient in a downturn. We seek to enhance returns through development, while ensuring that the short-term income ‘drag’ associated with holding land does not outweigh the long-term potential benefits. Our portfolio comprises modern big box and urban warehouses which are well specified and located, with good sustainability credentials, and which should benefit from a low structural void rate and relatively low intensity asset management requirements.Our assets are concentrated in the strongest European submarkets which display attractive property market characteristics, including good growth prospects, limited supply availability and where we already have critical mass, or believe we will be able to achieve it in a reasonable timeframe. Our portfolio is concentrated in areas expected to benefit from strong tenant demand with limited supply of competing product. Our buildings are located on the edge of major urban conurbations and around key transport hubs. www.segro.com ABOUT DAVID SLEATH David has considerable knowledge of the Company and the real estate sector and has broad experience of financial and general management and of the professional services industry. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. David was appointed Chief Executive in April 2011, having served as Finance Director since 2006. He is a Non-Executive Director at Electrocomponents plc and a Board member of the European Public Real Estate Association. David was previously Senior Independent Director and Audit Committee Chairman of Bunzl plc. He has previously held a number of senior finance roles, including Finance Director of Wagon plc and partner at Arthur Andersen, where he worked for 17 years.