deverellsmith launches industry-leading podcast on rental living sector growth and talent strategies

Leading recruitment firm releases exclusive interview with John Lewis Partnership, Realstar, and Related Argent leaders ahead of annual rental living salary report release 

deverellsmith, a specialist property recruitment and talent consultancy, today announced the release of its latest podcast episode featuring three of the UK's most influential leaders in the rental living sector.  

The podcast brings together Katherine Russell, Director of Build to Rent at John Lewis Partnership; John Kenny, COO of Realstar (now part of Quadreal); and Morwenna Hall, COO at Related Argent, for an in depth conversation on market conditions, talent acquisition challenges, and the future of rental living in the UK. 

Key highlights from the conversation 

John Kenny reflects on Realstar's rapid growth: "We went into 2024 with plans to mobilise 4 new UNCLE assets across the UK but actually acquired 5 new assets also – nearly doubling our portfolio in a year. We have continued to grow in 2025." 

The conversation included findings from the 2025 Rental Workforce Survey (hosted by deverellsmith and SAY Property), which asked over 100 professionals of the industry on their views as employees.  

The results highlighted that 44% of current rental living professionals had never heard of the sector before taking their first role. This statistic underscores the urgent need for improved awareness and recruitment strategies. The skills shortage is particularly acute in facilities management, with Morwenna Hall noting: "Finding facilities managers... we find quite tough. We like to have an in-house facilities manager for every building." 

All three executives emphasise the value of recruiting from adjacent sectors. John Kenny highlights hospitality as a particularly strong talent pool: "I think you find some really great operators from the hotel world in build to rent because of what they experience in the hotel world. They understand leasing, they understand property management, they understand front of house customers." 

Katherine Russell shares how John Lewis Partnership's retail expertise provides unexpected advantages: "Having a diversity of expertise that we're able to pull on from a retail background has helped enormously." 

The podcast tackles a concerning trend revealed in deverellsmith's recent workforce survey: only 24% of respondents see very clear career progression in their roles. John Kenny calls this "utterly staggering," adding: "It's the leadership of it. We're not really communicating that career opportunity well." 

The panel shares successful retention strategies, with Morwenna Hall citing a recent promotion: "Our assistant general manager has now gone on to be our general manager at our next development in Brent Cross town. That's a demonstration to the rest of the team about what's possible." 

The podcast is now available to listen and watch on the deverellsmith website here or wherever you get your podcast. 

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