Case Study - BNP Paribas Real Estate
General Manager for an A-grade trophy building on behalf of BNP Paribas Real Estate
The Challenge
This was a vital piece of recruitment for BNP Paribas in a Grade A trophy building– needing someone to look after this “big beast” and bring it to life by bringing compliance up to speed, bringing together the team into a “one-team approach”, and to lead sustainability initiatives within the asset.
20 Gracechurch Street comprises approximately 255,000 sq. ft. of Grade A, prime office space arranged over 16 floors, and 43,000 sq. ft. of retail space on ground and lower ground floors. Constructed to a unique design in 1965 and fully refurbished in 2009, the property benefits from dual receptions (recently refurbished) with double height entrance off Gracechurch Street, end of trip facilities including cycle store and changing rooms, and 360-degree views of London from the tower floors. The 17-story building serves as the London HQ of Axa XL, the property and casualty risk division of Axa. An impressive building and brand housed, needed an impressive manager of it.
They needed someone with strong people management skills and solid experience in overseeing large-scale projects, with the ability to manage contractors effectively. Most importantly, personality was a key for them as they needed someone to bring a lot of energy into this role.
There aren’t many buildings in London the size of 20 Gracechurch Street that could do with a major revamp as this one did, so the profile of the person, with that experience, was a unique requirement.
The Solution
Specifically looking for someone with prior experience in managing a trophy asset building, Cobalt was an obvious solution as these types of candidates are our bread and butter and the sort that we speak to day in and day out.
Competing with other agencies, we devised a list of a number of similar assets in London and identified individuals within those buildings who were potentially open to their next move. Having an existing relationship with most of them, when we reached out, many were receptive of the opportunity. We then shortlisted suitable candidates and then introduced them to BNP as part of an initial shortlist, meeting them in-person as part of our side of the process to ensure the strong and energetic personality that BNP required for the asset.
The Results
We had two candidates make it through to the second stage for this role - the only two who had made it that far, with successful candidate being Natasha Kelly.
They were chosen for this role as they had a great personality and were equipped with strong experience, particularly in managing teams and introducing new ESG initiatives within their building at the time. They had only just started their job search after 6 successful years with a leading client-side brand - a candidate that would have otherwise been highly sought after in the market.
The feedback
Described as an “excellent hire” by the Head of Major Buildings at BNP, Kelly has settled into the role brilliantly over the past year at the time of writing.
Covering hard and soft FM, as well as health and safety, we are the leading recruitment agency for facilities management, building management and workplace management in the UK. We cover it all from add from Building Managers to Regional Facilities Managers, through to Head of FM jobs, placing FM specialists across a range of commercial, residential and alternative asset classes, for both landlords and occupiers.
