Railpen appoints Emma Goodford to lead life sciences and innovation leasing
Railpen, manager of the £34bn railways pension scheme in the UK, has appointed Emma Goodford to lead life sciences and innovation leasing across its Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor portfolio. Goodford, who has over 35 years’ experience at Knight Frank, including as Head of Life Sciences and Innovation, has been appointed by Railpen this month.
Railpen, the second largest real asset investor in Cambridge with 11 commercial assets worth £782 million and a forecast of £1.5 billion further investment, is creating an ‘innovation cluster’ comprising 1.9 million sq ft of high-quality space. This cluster includes sustainable workspaces, laboratories, research facilities, and build-to-rent homes. The latest asset on-site is Mill Yard, a £180 million, 180,000 sq ft mixed-use campus in the centre of the city.
In Oxford, Railpen received consent to redevelop Eastpoint Business Park into a 200,000 sq ft life sciences campus. Both cities' assets will meet high environmental, ecological, and wellbeing standards, featuring parks, shops, restaurants, cycle hubs, and STEM-focused learning centres.
Emma will establish long-term relationships with tenants to execute Railpen's strategy for maximising the experience standards across its commercial properties, and establishing an ecosystem that fosters interaction among tenants and supports business scalability.
Matthew Howard, Head of Property at Railpen, said: “Emma’s appointment is a key step in realising our ambition in the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor, where we are creating a series of best-in-class assets that support the national economic and social growth agendas. Emma brings a wealth of experience and, most crucially, an unparalleled focus in her understanding of occupiers that will ensure we create a thriving ecosystem across our assets over the coming years.”
Emma Goodford added: “Railpen’s vision and ambition are transformative, but that requires an elevated and innovative approach to leasing strategy. While there will be a tactical focus on individual assets as they are developed, it will be important to take a holistic view of what is being created. By doing so, we can accommodate evolving occupier needs and, as the portfolio gains critical mass, establish new benchmarks for experience and quality. Having spent so long working in the sector, the time is right for such an approach, and I am very excited to be part of what Railpen is seeking to achieve.”
In addition to Mill Yard, Railpen has received consent for 230 Newmarket Road, a 112,000 sq ft Grade A office building and 10,000 sq ft retail and leisure space, along with other significant developments in Cambridge.