NEWS15 July 2022

Former Arlington CEO joins Surrey Research Park Board

Surrey Research Park is delighted to welcome James Raven, the former CEO of Arlington, to its Board.

James has worked in the real estate industry for over 25 years, and most recently lead the buyout and repositioning of Arlington, backed by TPG, the US private equity investor, who acquired the business from Goodman and LGIM in 2017.

At the core of that journey was a strategy to reinvest and reposition the business as a market leading proposition for Life Science, Innovation and Technology focused customers, in locations including Oxford, Uxbridge, and Hammersmith.  The investment was realised in a successful disposal to Brookfield in 2021.

James is a key addition to a growing and distinguished Board at Surrey Research Park with Kathy Slack, who has held several senior industry-facing roles, most notably as Board Director and Chief Executive of the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership (EM3 LEP), appointed the new Chair of the Board this month.

James Raven, Board member at Surrey Research Park, comments;

“I’m delighted to be able to join the Board and support the development of Surrey Research Park at this exciting time.  There is a great team in place and strong and thoughtful leadership under Grant Bourhill and our Chair, Kathy Slack.  I look forward to supporting the interlinked strategy to develop the real estate while deepening the collaboration between businesses and the University to create an exceptional innovation cluster.”  

Kathy Slack, Chair of Surrey Research Park Board, comments;

“James’ credentials add another valuable and distinct voice to our Board as we deliver our refreshed strategy focused on growth, sustainability and widening our innovation community. I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with him, and the rest of the Board, to grow the impact of this unique asset.”

Grant Bourhill, CEO of Surrey Research Park, comments;

“James has a wealth of experiencing in developing environments suitable for innovative companies to flourish. His experience is a superb fit as we look to support and grow SRP businesses, including our existing clusters in space; animal and human health; digital and the environment. James is a strong advocate of commercial-academic links and I look forward to working with him and the rest of the Board as we continue strengthening the various value-adding ties with the University.”