Savills strengthens investment team

Savills strengthens its Investment team with a promotion and a new appointment. Fraser Watson has been promoted to the role of Head of Investment for the Czech Republic & Slovakia. Fraser has been with Savills since 2018. He is an experienced property professional with over 20 years of experience and a diverse background providing a wide range of advice within all property sectors. He overtakes the department from Stuart Jordan, who was appointed CEO of Savills Central and Eastern Europe in August. Hugo Fischer joins the Investment team as an Associate, bringing with him a varied background in real estate investment, asset management and development.

Fraser Watson has lived in Prague since 2007 and has been a Director in Savills’ Prague office for six years. Originally joining Savills as Head of Valuation, Fraser has spent the past five years in the Investment team providing disposal, acquisition and consultancy advisory services to clients across all property sectors in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Before Savills, he worked for Sports Direct in the position of Head of Real Estate Europe, where he was responsible for developing and implementing the business expansion strategy in their 16 operating markets across Europe. He studied Estate Management at the University of Central England in Birmingham and qualified as MRICS in 2006.

“Having spent five years working in the Investment team at Savills, I feel ready to step into the position of leading the team, and it is an honour to do so. We have consistently prioritised giving our clients the best service we can offer and I plan to continue building from the strong foundations already laid. Appointing Hugo into the team during a weaker point in the market cycle is a testament to Savills’ resilience in the face of wider market uncertainty and we look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationships with our valued clients,” says Fraser Watson, Head of Investment at Savills.

Stuart Jordan, CEO of Savills Central & Eastern Europe, adds: “This is a well-deserved promotion for Fraser, who has been involved and led some of our larger transactions in Czech and Slovakia over recent years and is a reflection of his hard work and service delivery to clients.”

Hugo Fischer studied at The Hague University of Applied Science in the Netherlands and Cass Business School in London, where he graduated with a Master of Science in Real Estate. Hugo gathered his work experience primarily in Slovakia working in advisory services, as well as a real estate investor and a developer. At KPMG Hugo worked as a Deal Advisory Trainee before moving to HB Reavis where he spent three years as a leasing manager, followed by the position of Asset Manager at IaD Investments. Hugo joined Savills from OPC Group investment company, where he was responsible for the identification and transaction of investment opportunities, mainly in the retail warehouse park sector. At Savills, he will work alongside Fraser Watson in the Investment department.

“Joining Savills is an excellent opportunity for me to broaden my market relationships and I am excited to be part of this dynamic team. My background of working on both the advisory and the investor side gives me a deep understanding of the different requirements of real estate market participants. I look forward to providing our clients with a comprehensive and professional service,” says Hugo Fischer, Associate, Investment department at Savills.