Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield names new UK and Italy managing director

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Sep 10, 2019

Scott Parsons, who resigned as managing director of Landsec’s retail portfolio earlier this year, is joining rival Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield as its new regional managing director in the UK and Italy. 

The global developer and operator of shopping malls said on Monday it hired Parsons to be responsible for its asset portfolio and development projects in the UK and Italy. In the UK, the company has two massive shopping centres, Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City, plus the planned Westfield Croydon, and in Italy the firm is building a Westfield Milano that is due to open in 2022.

Parsons will take up the new position on November 13, reporting to Michel Dessolain, chief operating officer Europe of URW. He brings over 25 years of investment, finance and operations experience in real estate and a strong track record of leading large developments within retail, as well as managing a diverse portfolio including theatres, cinemas, leisure and residential.

Michel Dessolain, URW chief operating officer in Europe said: “As regional managing director, Scott will be part of our growth story against the backdrop of a rapidly changing industry, particularly in the UK. We have the best assets and the best teams to deliver success and are delighted that Scott will lead our UK and Italy business. 

“His experience is of significant value to the group as we increase our focus on densification and mixed-use developments. We are happy to welcome Scott within URW and look forward to writing this new chapter together”.

In February, Parsons announced his resignation from Landsec’s retail portfolio, which includes assets such as Bluewater shopping centre and Trinity Leeds, after more than nine years. Prior to this, he served as president of European real estate at Brookfield Asset Management Inc, and spent ten years at GE Capital Real Estate, where he led the UK business development team.