Meet the team

Paul ClarkDirector of Investment and Asset Management

Paul joined The Crown Estate in 2007 and has overall responsibility for investment strategy for The Crown Estate's UK based £8.1 billion portfolio which includes commercial, residential and rural and coastal real estate holdings, along with our energy portfolio.

Significant recent initiatives have included setting up major retail joint ventures with Land Securities in Exeter and Oxford, commencing the organisation's first development in St James's in partnership with HOOPP, the 18,600 m² (200,000 ft²) Quadrant development off Regent Street and the partnership with Norges on Regent Street.

Previously he was responsible for the Church Commissioners' £1.7 billion property investment portfolio.

James CookseyHead of St James’s and Regional portfolios

James Cooksey joined The Crown Estate in March 2009 as Head of St James's and the Regional Portfolio which together comprise assets with a total value of c£3 billion. He previously worked for Norwich Union/Morley Fund Management for over 10 years having held a number of posts, including Fund Manager for The Aviva Staff Pension Fund and Head of European Multi Manager.

Since joining The Crown Estate James has been responsible for overseeing over £750 million of purchases and sales which have resulted in a re-orientation of the Regional portfolio towards dominant prime retail and significant inward investment into the core St James's portfolio. He also established the brand values for St James's and launched the St James's Vision.

James holds a 2:1 degree in Land Management, is a member of the IPF and RICS, and has passed the full IMC.

Bob DawsonHead of Asset Management - Regent Street

Bob joined The Crown Estate in 1989 and is currently Head of Asset Management for Regent Street.

A chartered surveyor and member of BCSC, Bob is responsible for delivery of the Regent Street portfolio's day to day business plan objectives, reporting both to The Crown Estate and our investment partner NBIM. The partnership portfolio is valued at over £2bn.

Bob also takes responsibility for transactional investment execution, which unusually for the property industry, has included seven property swaps on the portfolio - including the West End's largest ever in 2008.

Anthea HarriesPortfolio Manager - St James's

Anthea joined The Crown Estate as the Portfolio Manager for St James' in March 2011.

Anthea manages the £1.25 billion St James' portfolio, in the heart of the West End, as well as the rest of central London portfolio, which is valued at £400m. The St James' team is focused on driving revenue and capital performance, through acquisitions, disposals and core asset management initiatives to ensure St James's remains a world class shopping destination.

Anthea was previously at The British Land Company plc, where she worked for 10 years on the West End and City portfolios. She is a Chartered Surveyor, with a degree in Estate Management from Northumbria University.

Alan MeakinInvestment Strategy Manager

Alan joined The Crown Estate in 1986 and has been the Investment Strategy Manager since 2004.

The team is responsible for organising the valuation of The Crown Estate, measuring its performance, assessing individual investment proposals, forecasting portfolio performance and advising on investment strategy.

Alan has a broad knowledge of The Crown Estate garnered through his time working on the marine, urban regional and Regent Street portfolios. His experience ranges from the development of Cambridge Business Park, the introduction of Regent Street Direct to manage Regent Street and developing the Crown Estate's investment strategy.

He holds a postgraduate diploma in Property Investment and is a member of the RICS.

Steve MelliganStrategic Land Manager

Steve joined The Crown Estate in 2012 and manages the strategic land portfolio. The portfolio comprises about 75 development sites with the potential to deliver over 10,000 dwellings and 4 million ft² of commercial space.

As well as driving forward existing sites, Steve is focused on the acquisition of new opportunities to enhance the portfolio's role in delivering long-term capital receipts to the wider business.

Steve joined The Crown Estate from the Church Commissioners. Beforehand his career in planning and development encompassed roles within consultancy, development and planning authorities. He is a Chartered Town Planner with a Masters in geography and environmental planning.

Hannah MilneHead of Retail Asset Management - Regional Portfolio

Hannah joined The Crown Estate in 2011 and is Head of Retail Asset Management for the regional portfolio.

Hannah is focused on driving revenue and capital performance on the retail park portfolio which now includes 14 parks totalling almost £1 billion, including the joint ventures with Hercules Unit Trust and Aviva Investors. Strengthening our relationships with the retailers and stakeholders, in particular local authorities, is key to delivering performance in this portfolio.

Hannah has 20 years' experience in the investment market in all sectors and was previously a partner at Knight Frank and BNP Paribas. She is a Chartered Surveyor with a degree in French and German from Cambridge University.

Jenny MulliganPortfolio Manager - Regional Urban

Jenny is the Portfolio Manager for the regional portfolio. She joined The Crown Estate in 2005 as a Residential Asset Manager. Jenny is focused on driving capital performance for £1.5bn portfolio as well as undertaking investment transactions. The portfolio is predominantly weighted to retail and leisure sectors but also contains some non-core industrial and office assets.

Jenny is a qualified surveyor and has a total of 13 years' experience in all disciplines and sectors, having previously worked at Lambert Smith Hampton and Fuller Peiser.

David ShawHead of Regent Street Portfolio

David joined The Crown Estate in 2002 and is Head of Regent Street Portfolio.

A chartered surveyor and member of BCSC and IPF, David is responsible for the £2.4 billion Regent Street portfolio. Since 2002 Regent Street has undergone a major redevelopment, and David has overseen this £1 billion investment programme including the investment partnership for Regent Street with Norges Bank Investment Management.

David was formerly property director of a Nomura subsidiary focused on real estate partnerships, a management board director of retailer the Burton Group responsible for retail planning and property and director of Rosehaugh subsidiary Shearwater. He also sits as a director the New West End Company.

Alastair SmartHead of Development and Project Management

Alastair joined The Crown Estate in May 2009 and leads a specialist team responsible for the planning and construction phases of real estate development activity. This includes the major development activity across the urban portfolio, both in central London and regionally, and working with the rural and coastal portfolio in respect of their strategic land opportunities and securing of planning consents for housing.

Alastair has overall responsibility for running the development team and managing the development risk, reporting to the management board and main board.

Alastair previously worked for Lend Lease as Director of New Business and Development Director (Retail) and was part of the Executive Management Team.

He has a BSc (Hons) Degree in Estate Management, Kingston University, is a member of RICS and the British Council of Shopping Centres. Alastair is also a member of the National Heritage Protection Plan Advisory Board and the London First Planning & Development Advisory Group.