One of the largest Employee-Owned Trusts in the UK, Hollis – an independent real estate consultancy company has appointed Property Director Andy Hay as its new CEO.
Andy formally joins Hollis in May and will be tasked with leading the company into its next phase of growth, as it targets raising its turnover in the next five years to £100m. He carries with him a wealth of expertise and experience in strategic leadership within the property sector.
With previous appointments including CBRE, Andy held positions on the Global Asset Services and EMEA Operations Boards. Most recently he was Managing Director at Colliers, responsible for delivering the first pan-European property management service line, alongside driving the digitalisation and ESG offering across Europe.
“Since becoming part of the real estate industry in 2006, I have always been aware of Hollis as a business that was constantly growing and being at the forefront of innovating and pushing the entire industry to evolve. It has always been admired and respected by competitors and clients alike for the way in which it has developed incredibly talented teams and individuals. They are the people with the ‘Hollis Way’ in their DNA and who will help preserve the company’s distinctive culture and ensure our continued commitment to excellence for our clients.”
– Andy Hay, CEO, Hollis
Andy will take over from interim CEO Digby Flower, who since joining the business in September 2023, has been instrumental in setting Hollis on a successful path towards growth. This has included implementing a new board structure with regional Managing Directors and driving the recruitment process to secure a permanent successor.
Digby will now become Chairman in a move that ensures continuity for Hollis and its clients. He will also be focused on continuing to drive through positive organisational change.
“Andy has a proven track record of delivering significant growth to already successful businesses with an international reach, whilst also leading strategic change within large corporate organisations within real estate and other industries. His strong digital and ESG focus and desire to be innovative fits well with the direction Hollis has been going and what has made Hollis the success it is today. He comes with a reputation for understanding the importance of developing the people within a business, which aligns with the Hollis ethos.”
– Digby Flower, Chairman, Hollis
Alongside the developments at management board level, Hollis also confirms the further evolution of its leadership succession plans with the appointment of four new strategic directors from outside the business. These directors will work alongside the board to drive growth and innovation across key existing and new service areas.
Benjamin Ralph and Deepika Singhal will join as Directors in April, to head up the Building Safety & Fire service and lead on Building Physics services in the UK respectively. Alistair Cooper will become Director and Head of Dilapidations in June. A new Director will also join to establish and lead a new Development Management service from September 2024.
“Over the years we have explored many ways of growing and pushing the business forward; my desire has always been to maintain our independence and put our people first. Switching to an employee-owned trust two and a half years ago was the first step of putting a succession plan in place that secured this independence. We already have a group of directors who are among the best in the industry at what they do; together with a new CEO and strategic directors who bring with them experience from outside of Hollis, they will be able to grow our business even further.”
– John Woodman, Founding Partner, Hollis
Founded just over 30 years ago, Hollis currently operates out of the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, and Germany. The company works alongside numerous institutional investors to deliver undisputed consultancy services in the purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector, amongst other sectors.
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