Global property consultancy Knight Frank has recently added people strategy and international expertise to its top tier of management by appointing Shishir Baijal to its Group Executive Board responsible for the UK and global Knight Frank business.
Baijal joins the Board to add international experience and wide-ranging corporate acumen after his 45-year-plus career across a range of sectors including hotels, leisure, and real estate. The existing Chairman and Managing Director at Knight Frank India will only broaden the range of expertise and ability on the Board and signal the growing importance of strategic thinking for people and the strong focus on global markets for Knight Frank.
With an interesting career spanning nearly four and a half years across Australia, New Zealand, and Seychelles, Baijal has held numerous positions at India’s finest hospitality centres. Besides marque projects with the ITC Welcomgroup, he joined forces with the Inox Group, India’s largest and world’s fifth-largest chain of multiplexes. Later, as Founder and Managing Partner for Everstone Capital Advisors Group (ECAPL), a Mumbai based premier Asset Management Company focused on private equity and real estate, Baijal founded India’s first Retail Real Estate Fund as well as set up a Logistics Real Estate Fund.
Baijal has led efforts of making Knight Frank a leading player in the market for over a decade now. He joined Knight Frank in 2012, building the team in India to 1,500 professionals in eight cities, servicing over 100 locations in the subcontinent.
“Our regions are at varied stages of development, and a truly comprehensive view for the company is imperative, given the new era of post-pandemic global business. I view joining the Group Executive Board as an enriching move to create a more global orientation to our overall approach”, commented Baijal.
William Beardmore-Gray, Senior Partner and Group Chair, Knight Frank, commented, “We have developed a People Strategy that builds on our partnership approach and ensures that around the world Knight Frank recruits and retains the best talent. At the same time, following the recent announcement of our new US partnership with Berkadia, we continue to grow our business to suit our clients’ needs around the world. With India now the fastest-growing economy in the world, Shishir will give us an invaluable insight into business and real estate dynamics across Asia and other emerging markets, as well as his wider non-real estate expertise.”
The Group Executive Board oversees Knight Frank’s global network and over-arching strategy. Apart from Baijal, Karen Bowes has joined from the Consumer Banking & Payments division of Barclays Bank, in the newly created role of Group Chief People Officer and will also become a Proprietary Partner at Knight Frank.
