Student Accommodation Hall of Fame

Jane Crouch

Jane joined Fresh in 2010, setting up the operational platform, and has played an intrinsic part in the success and growth of the company.

As chief operating officer she oversees customer experience and day-to-day operations of the business, ensuring that customer insights shape Fresh’s service and products. She has more than 30 years’ experience in the residential for rent sector.

“Jane has forged a long career in operational excellence within the student accommodation sector and consistently operates at the highest level while developing a great team and legacy,” the judges said.

“She manages to balance meeting the needs of investors and developers in maximising the value of their assets with providing high quality and good value accommodation that puts the needs and wellbeing of students first. A deserving entrant to our student Hall of Fame.”

Nick Porter

Nick pioneered the development of the UK PBSA sector, creating The Unite Group and subsequently moving on to found The Dot Group, which now encompasses Global Student Accommodation (GSA), Yugo and Student.com.

He is a stand-out pioneer of the sector who now has one of the largest global portfolios of PBSA and who continues to provide innovation and thought leadership for the sector.

“Nick is the founding father of the modern purpose-built student accommodation sector,” the judges said. “Setting up Unite Group was a seminal moment in PBSA history and its enduring success is testament to the strength and determination behind his early vision.

They added: “His own ongoing career has seen him develop as a global leader in the PBSA market who has more than earned his place in our Hall of Fame as a constant innovator, thought leader and inspiration to many.”

Paddy Jackman

Paddy has held a variety of roles in the PBSA sector over more than 20 years. Highlights include leading a £175m capital investment programme for Imperial College London, serving as commercial services director for the University of the Arts and as a non-executive director with University of Essex Campus Services. He has also chaired the Audit Committee for the ANUK/Unipol Codes of Management and been chief executive of Unipol Student Homes; a trustee of Cass and Claredale Halls of Residence Association, and director of university partnerships at Campus Living Villages.

He now runs Jackman Education Solutions, providing consultancy advice to the education sector, particularly universities, student accommodation firms and independent schools.

Our Hall of Fame judges said: “Paddy has made a significant and enduring impact on the PBSA sector through his dedication to promoting and raising its profile. With a deep knowledge of the industry and a passion for its growth, he has been instrumental in advancing PBSA standards and advocating both for students and operators.”

Jo Winchester

Jo has been a constant in the PBSA sector for 25 years and is a student accommodation powerhouse. Thanks to her leadership and guidance, PBSA has changed from a niche alternative sector to one of the most transparent and trusted investment opportunities in real estate.

In her long career, she has worked closely with many of the leading developer-operators and has helped many major financial institutions understand the dynamics of the sector, broadening its appeal to the mainstream.

While at CBRE, she led a small advisory team to become one of the industry’s leading consultancy firms for PBSA and has been a tireless champion for the model.

As one judge noted: “Jo has been a visionary, at times understanding where the sector was going before other realised it. It a loss to the sector now that she has moved on, but she has really helped shape where this sector is now and the success that it has.”

Mark Quigley

Mark, managing director of Beaufort Capital, has an esteemed career as a financier to the student housing market. He is credited as being one of the key creators of the vibrant student accommodation market that exists today.

His foresight as an investor led to the creation of Nido Student Housing and he has been influential in growing student housing as an asset class, going as far to support speculative development before the market had matured, creating evidence of liquidity and institutional appetite for the asset class.

Mark, who has also led on PBSA at Barclays, is described as a supportive mentor for many in the student accommodation space with a commercially minded, consistent, supportive and fair outlook.

The judges said: “Mark enabled and supported many student housing colleagues and has been instrumental in creating the student asset class we have today.”

David Tymms

David worked for specialist provider iQ Student Accommodation for 14 years until his retirement last month. He initially held the role of chief operating officer before going on to become commercial director at the firm, which owns and operate 76 sites across 29 UK towns and cities.

He joined iQ after a long career in the student sector that included stints at universities including the London School of Economics and the University of Central Lancashire before moving into the private sector. He currently chairs the British Property Federation’s Student Accommodation committee and, under his leadership, its influence and impact has grown significantly.

Since retiring, David has decided to fulfil a lifelong ambition by embarking on a trip around the world.

Mark Allen

Mark helped build UPP into a major provider of campus accommodation, which now has well over 30,000 beds under its management.

He moved to the private sector following a successful period at the University of Greenwich and Goldsmiths, University of London, before retiring from UPP in 2017. It is estimated he has been involved with the development of more than 50,000 rooms during his career.

Since his retirement, Mark has remained active in the student sector by becoming an independent member of the University of Roehampton’s governing council, a non-executive of both higher education review website StudentCrowd and SPCE, a student accommodation lettings app.

Philip Hillman

Philip first became involved in the student housing sector in the early 1990s. He has been involved in many of the largest student housing transactions in the UK and Europe over the past decade.

Philip initially joined JP Sturge as a graduate trainee in Bristol in 1986, where he qualified as a chartered surveyor. He began working in the emerging student housing sector initially as a valuer before building a wider team to act in agency roles and work with universities.
He remained at JP Sturge through its 1992 merger with King and Co and subsequent acquisition by JLL in 2011.

He says he believes passionately that the living sectors, including PBSA, are “more than just a vibrant property sector, but about making better homes and communities”.

Sean O’Shea

Sean was a founding director of student accommodation provider UPP. He passed away in June 2021 and was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Rebecca Hopewell

Rebecca joined Fresh in 2010, creating the specialist accommodation arm of owner Watkins Jones. Prior to specialising in student accommodation, she spent 17 years as a senior director for Sanctuary Housing Association.

Rebecca was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of 2020’s Student Accommodation Awards, which were held in virtual format due to Covid restrictions. She received the accolade  ahead of her planned retirement, in recognition for her long-term service to the PBSA Industry.

Martin Blakey

As chief executive of Unipol, Martin developed a portfolio housing 2,500 students in Leeds and 1,000 students in Nottingham;  founded the ANUK Unipol Code which helps regulate PBSA in the HE sector and set up accreditation schemes for off- street properties in Leeds, Nottingham and Bradford. Together these schemes help regulate 407,000 bed spaces. He also established Rate your Landlord sites in Leeds, Warwick and York, working closely with local universities, and founded a national training programme for the student accommodation sector.

Like Rebecca, Martin was inducted as part of 2020’s Student Accommodation Awards ceremony, held online due to Covid restrictions.