British Land welcomes Joanne McNamara as chief executive officer

British Land has appointed Joanne McNamara as its new chief executive officer, succeeding Simon Carter, who is stepping down after 18 years with the company, including the last five as CEO.

McNamara joins from Oxford Properties, where she currently serves as executive vice president, Europe. Oxford Properties is the global real estate investment, development and management arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS), one of Canada's largest pension funds.

Industry expert McNamara is new CEO of British Land

A real estate industry veteran with more than two decades of experience, McNamara joined Oxford in 2010 as one of the company's first London-based employees. During her 16-year tenure, she oversaw several major investment and development transactions and played a key role in building Oxford's European platform, which now comprises more than 70 employees and manages approximately 8 billion pounds in assets across the office, retail, logistics and residential sectors.

Before joining Oxford, McNamara held positions at Hammerson and DTZ. She currently serves on Oxford's Global Executive and Investment Committees and is also a member of the OMERS portfolio management committee. Until 2025, she was a non-executive director of ESR Group.

British Land said McNamara has a maximum notice period of six months and is expected to join the company no later than the end of November.

Corporate leadership transitions

William Rucker, chairman of British Land, welcomed the appointment, describing McNamara as "one of Europe's most respected real estate professionals."

"With her deep expertise in real estate, valuable experience in the world of private capital and a strong reputation for decisive leadership, she is exceptionally well placed to drive the business forward," Rucker said.

McNamara said she had long admired British Land and its track record of creating and managing leading real estate destinations across the UK.

"I am very much looking forward to working with the Board, Executive Committee and all of my new colleagues as we work together to build on what is already a fantastic platform for growth," she said.

McNamara succeeds Carter, who is leaving British Land to become chief executive officer of logistics real estate company P3 Logistics Parks.