In brief
- Justine Edmonds takes over the general management of Apo Group to accelerate the growth of its residential operational platform in the United Kingdom.
- Karim Malak takes the reins of The Boost Society with a target of €3 billion in assets within five years in France and Spain.
- Joe Riley prepares to take office as chief executive of Casago following the acquisition of Vacasa for $128 million.
- Simon Ismail is developing the Hidden boutique aparthotel brand at Salboy, backed by a project portfolio of over £1 billion.
The hospitality and residential real estate sector is undergoing a phase of profound transformation. The boundaries between extended-stay hospitality, student housing, coliving and holiday rentals continue to blur, driven by integrated operational models. In this rapidly evolving context, eight strategic leaders are shaping the new dynamics of real estate and hospitality in Europe and North America.
Justine Edmonds orchestrates the expansion of Apo Group
Justine Edmonds and the development of Apo Group
Apo Group has appointed Justine Edmonds as managing director with the mission of accelerating the growth of its operational platform. With over twenty years of experience in UK residential real estate, she previously served as Director of Living Markets Strategy at LRG, overseeing single-family housing and Build to Rent portfolios.
As a member of the British Property Federation’s Build to Rent committee, she is well-versed in all the regulatory challenges shaping the sector. Apo Group, owned by Broadsword Investment Management since 2024, notably manages the Kew Bridge and Barking Wharf residential developments on behalf of Invesco Real Estate.
Johnny Langton joins a new residential platform
A new British residential platform, founded by Tim Butler and backed by the Australian pension fund AustralianSuper, has strengthened its executive committee with the appointment of Johnny Langton as Chief Operating Officer. The project benefits from an initial institutional investment of £500 million in order to rank among the top five rental housing operators in the United Kingdom within five years.
Its portfolio spans student accommodation (PBSA), coliving and Build to Rent. Having spent over twelve years at Greystar and serving as former interim managing director of Student Roost, Johnny Langton brings key operational expertise as the group makes its first acquisitions across seven British cities.
Karim Malak targets three billion in assets for The Boost Society
The student housing division of BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts, The Boost Society, has appointed Karim Malak as Chief Executive Officer. Founded in 2014 and backed by leading institutional shareholders such as AXA and the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, the company develops and operates residences under the KLEY and Hife brands in France and Spain.
Karim Malak takes the reins of The Boost Society
Karim Malak combines a background in strategic consulting at BCG and Accenture with operational experience in accommodation, having steered the international expansion of Adagio Aparthotels before leading easyHotel. The Boost Society aims to reach €3 billion in assets under management, targeting the French and Spanish markets as a priority.
Joe Riley prepares to take the helm at Casago
Current president of Casago, Joe Riley will take over the general management of the group in October 2026, succeeding founder Steve Schwab. This transition comes in the wake of the acquisition of Vacasa in May 2025 for $128 million. This transaction combined Casago’s local franchise model with one of the largest holiday rental management portfolios in North America.
Holding a master’s and a doctorate in international relations from the University of Oxford, Joe Riley founded Patriot Family Homes after serving as Director for Indo-Pacific Security on the White House National Security Council.
Preet Ahluwalia verticalises the global offering of Dominus Group
Under the leadership of its managing director Preet Ahluwalia, Dominus Group is accelerating the diversification of its historic real estate development model towards direct hotel management. The company, which has developed 15 hotels totalling over 4,000 rooms such as The Derby London City, launched its own management platform named Dominus Hospitality in March 2025.
Dominus Hospitality now operates five flagship hotels in its portfolio in-house, including The Dixon and Lost Property. In parallel, the group completed its first student housing programme in Hammersmith in June 2025 and is preparing two other London developments located at Crutched Friars and Holborn Viaduct.
Vanessa Hale becomes the first director of Real Estate:UK
Following the merger of the Association of Real Estate Funds, the British Property Federation and the Investment Property Forum, Vanessa Hale takes the lead of the unified body to represent the UK real estate sector under the Real Estate:UK banner. Previously head of research and strategy at BNP Paribas Real Estate, she brings over two decades of expertise across the residential, commercial and office segments.
As former chair of ULI UK, she is tasked with embodying a unified voice for the British real estate industry to public institutions and international investors around six strategic pillars.
Simon Ismail rolls out the Hidden hotel brand for Salboy
Simon Ismail and the hotel expansion of Salboy
Co-founder of the Salboy group in 2014 alongside Fred Done, Simon Ismail oversees a portfolio that has delivered over 4,000 homes across more than 70 sites in the UK, backed by a project pipeline exceeding £1 billion. In addition to urban residential projects such as the Viadux tower or the W Hotel & Residences in Manchester, the structure relies on a vertical ecosystem encompassing finance, sales and construction.
The Hidden aparthotel brand marks Salboy’s strategic expansion into premium lifestyle hospitality, launched in St Ives in Cornwall and destined to be rolled out nationwide.
Joe Lister restructures the Unite Students residence portfolio
Chief Executive of Unite Students since January 2024 after 23 years with the group, Joe Lister is leading a major restructuring of the student housing operator. Faced with a pre-tax loss of £417 million in the first half following a portfolio write-down and rising construction costs, the executive has decided on a rigorous disposal plan.
The strategic refocusing plan envisages the disposal of 15,000 to 20,000 student units located in secondary cities, in order to concentrate the company’s activity on the top 20 British student cities.
