Rapleys has named Rebecca Harper as head of investment, within the Partnership’s Commercial Division.
Harper has been at Rapleys for almost 10 years advising on over £300m of transactions, and has been a driving force on alternative investment transactions, focusing on growing automotive, out of town retail (foodstores) and leisure investment activity.
She advises primarily on the acquisition and disposal of individual properties and portfolios, identifying opportunities, highlighting asset management potential and providing valuation and rental advice to clients, principally focusing on the automotive, out of town retail and leisure sectors.
Harper has been on a strategic growth mission for over two years, bringing in talent across its four core divisions of Building Consultancy, Commercial, Planning and Residential with 10 new partners joining the business in the last 12 months alone.
Justin Tuckwell, managing partner at Rapleys said: “Investment is an area of the business we are keen to grow. We have looked at recruiting and met some great senior candidates, but we decided that we had the best person already within the business to lead the team. Becks will grow this part of the business and recruit the right people at different levels to support her. As a business, we are committed to developing and furthering our own talent with the right opportunities as well as hiring the right people from elsewhere. Both the balance and the people need to be right for sustainable growth and we could not be more delighted with Becks’s appointment.”
Harper said: “I am incredibly proud and excited to take on the leadership of the investment team within Rapleys. In my 10 years this business has gone from strength to strength, none more so than the last two years with new faces joining and new services launched. It’s been incredibly motivating and I’m so pleased to play a key part of the future Rapleys story.
“There has been an increasing demand for Alternatives in the last few years as investors look to diversify portfolios, spread risk and find value in niche assets. This is my speciality and it’s also something that Rapleys is absolutely a market leader on and has grown considerably in this area as a result. Despite its growth, the business now has a real focus on its people, and I could not have felt more supported returning this time after my second maternity leave with the subsequent flexibility to do my job well, perform at the highest level and empowerment to lead this team and future growth. Rapleys is a very special place and I’m already getting stuck into growing the investment team to bring opportunities and add further value to new and existing clients.”
