Hines appoints new managing director in the UK

US developer and investor Hines has appointed Ross Blair as managing director of the firm's UK operations, replacing Jay Wyper who is going back to the US to take a senior central role in Hines' global headquarters in Houston.

Blair, formerly director of Hines UK, has been with the firm since 2003. In his previous role he was responsible for all investment activities in the UK, acquiring projects totalling £500 mln (EUR 600 mln). Blair also served as project officer for assets within the firm's pan-European Core Fund, European Value Added Fund, European Development Fund II and its Global REIT.

Prior to joining Hines, he spent five years in the Investment and Development teams at CBRE, working on assets across the UK and in Central London.

As UK Managing Director, Blair will be responsible for driving all aspects of the business in the UK, reporting to Michael Topham, Hines CEO for Europe and the Middle.

Hines UK was launched in 2000 and today has over two million sq ft of projects acquired, completed or in the pipeline in the UK, with a total value of over £1 bn.