Industry Veteran Joins Knight Frank Global Occupier Team

Knight Frank has announced the appointment of industry veteran James Maddock as Partner in its Global Occupier Strategy & Solutions team.

With over 35 years of experience in corporate real estate and occupier advisory, James Maddock has transacted millions of square feet across the globe, advising major multinational corporations across multiple sectors on their real estate portfolios and strategies, helping to align property decisions with wider business objectives.

At Knight Frank, James Maddock will be based in London and will work closely alongside Tim Armstrong, Global Head of Occupier Strategy & Solutions, and senior regional leadership, including Philipp Ueberschaer, Head of Occupier Strategy & Solutions – EMEA, and Richard Proctor, Head of Occupier Strategy & Solutions – UK, joining the Global Occupier Board.  His strategic appointment is designed to enhance and strengthen client relationships and accelerate the growth of the Global Occupier platform as Knight Frank continues to position itself as the platform of choice to service the increasing demand for real estate outsourcing.

James Maddock joins from Cushman & Wakefield, where he spent his entire career, beginning at DTZ in 1990 and later joining the European Board following the firm’s 2015 merger. Most recently, he served as EMEA Head of Occupier Services, where he was responsible for building and scaling the EMEA Occupier Services platform. His experience spans all areas of corporate real estate strategy and delivery, including integrated service delivery models, portfolio optimisation, and workplace innovation. He also previously served as Chair of CoreNet UK, the principal occupier association, for a two-year term.

Knight Frank’s Global Occupier Strategy & Solutions team has experienced accelerated growth, with eight transaction management hubs and three centres of excellence worldwide as of 2025, underpinned by significant investment in advanced analytics and geospatial technologies to better serve its expanding base of multinational portfolio clients.

William Beardmore-Grey, Senior Partner and Group Chair at Knight Frank, commented: “James is a highly respected industry leader with an unparalleled network and depth of occupier expertise. His appointment underscores our long-term commitment to building a market-leading Global Occupier platform, which we see as a critical growth engine as occupier requirements become more complex, global and strategically driven.”

Tim Armstrong, Global Head of Occupier Strategy & Solutions at Knight Frank, said: “As occupier requirements become increasingly sophisticated, this is the ideal moment to strengthen our global leadership team. James brings 35 years of outstanding experience and an exceptional track record, and his arrival further enhances our ability to deliver innovative and integrated solutions for clients. Leveraging data and AI will be fundamental to these solutions – enabling smarter insights, predictive analytics, and automation that transform occupier strategies.  Working closely with our regional leaders, he will play a pivotal role in accelerating growth and transforming how occupiers extract value from their real estate and workplaces.”

Tim Robinson, Head of UK Commercial at Knight Frank, added: “Growing the UK Occupier platform is fundamental to our UK and European strategies and one of our Commercial ‘accelerators’ – areas of our business that are targeted for significant investment by the firm. James will be a major asset to our occupier-focused business, strengthening our ability to deliver a truly best-in-class service to clients across the UK, mainland Europe and, ultimately, globally.”

James Maddock, Partner, Executive Director, Strategic Client Development, Global Occupier Strategy & Solutions, at Knight Frank, said: “I am delighted to be joining Knight Frank’s world-class team at such a pivotal moment for the occupier market. The firm’s partnership culture and commitment to collaboration strongly resonate with me. I look forward to working across the UK, Europe and global platform to enhance client experience, deliver meaningful outcomes, and support the continued growth of the business in an increasingly complex environment.”