#letswrapup2020: A message from our founder…

​During the Christmas season, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our success possible. 2020 has been no walk in the park for deverellsmith, Real Estate and wider society, but we believe that the pandemic has unified us, thus becoming stronger and more resilient as an industry.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our network who supported the ‘Do Some Good’ initiative during the early stages of the crisis. As a result, 108 Real Estate firms came together, delivering a wide variety of support such as providing domestic abuse victims with safe shelter, veterans and key workers on the frontline with space to self-isolate, PPE manufacturers with warehouse space, a beigel run which distributed food supplies to homelessness shelters across the capital and many more successes.

As we gear up for 2021, we reflect on what else we achieved in 2020 (because the year wasn’t all bad, was it?):

• deverellsmith partnered with AKT charity and created the #SEEMENOW viral campaign on Linkedin which promoted representation of LGBTQ+ professionals within property, and funds to tackle homelessness across the LGBTQ+ community.

• Our Client Solutions team supported 20 firms evolving their hiring strategies and internal capability regarding the way they recruit, attract, and retain talent. Saving them in excess of 4 million pounds and countless amount of time.

• ‘A New Lease of Life’ was launched, a sub-series of the #devcast… podcast, which interviews influential figures across BTR and alternative asset classes.

• Our team interviewed 33 innovators, futurists, and trailblazers for #devcast… including Ryan Serhant, Michela Hancock and Alex Michelin.

• We launched our first virtual event in partnership with Bank of England and Knight Frank which attracted over 900 property professionals.

• deverellsmith hired 17 new employees to the deverellsmith team across the 3 pillars of our business (Transactions, Development & Construction and Management) who have a combined experience of 87 years.

• devgives…, deverellsmith’s CSR programme, partnered with WONDER Foundation and Whitechapel Mission to raise awareness of the charities and donations to the cause.

• In the last week of November, our team’s hard work was rewarded as we achieved activity and figures of pre-pandemic levels.

We look forward to supporting your business and teams in preparing for the future ahead, hosting more podcasts and webinars and stimulating change. It is in this spirit that we say thank you and send best wishes for the holidays and New Year.

I wish you a well-deserved, restful break over the festive season, and I look forward to working with you in achieving continued success throughout 2021 and beyond.

Kind regards,

Andrew Deverell-Smith

CEO