Retail park owner British Land appoints William Ker as Chair

The Board of commercial landlord British Land has announced the appointment of William Rucker to Chair Designate, effective 9 July 2024.

British Land is the largest direct owner and operator of retail parks in the UK. They account for 61% of our Retail & London urban logistics portfolio.

In his new role, Rucker will succeed Tim Score, who was Chair for five years and on the board for ten years.

Simon Carter, Chief Executive of British Land, said: "I am hugely grateful to Tim for his advice and support during his tenure as Chair. British Land has benefitted greatly from his expertise and guidance over his ten years on the Board.

"I am very much looking forward to working with William again... His insights will be invaluable as we continue to execute our value-add strategy and look to seize growth opportunities in the portfolio and those emerging in the market."

Since January 2023 William Rucker has been Chair of Intermediate Capital Group plc. Prior to taking on his new role at British Land, Rucker will step down as Chair and a member of the Board of Marston’s Plc. He was most recently Chair of Lazard in the UK, an investment bank.

William Rucker commented: "I have long admired British Land as a company with a terrific heritage and am delighted to be taking on the role of Chair. It is a fantastic business with a strong track record and a highly effective team at its helm. I look forward to working with the Board and the team as we take the business forward."

British Land focuses on sites within the M25 and Zone 1 of London, it now boasts an urban logistics space with a gross development value of £1.3 billion. Back in March 2023, the company acquired three retail parks for £94 million and sold its 50% stake in a retail park in Preston for £30 million. This acquisition consisted of Capitol Retail and Leisure Park, Solartron Retail Park and DFS at 442 Newmarket Road in Cambridge.