PwC has appointed Rob Walker as UK Sector Leader of Real Estate from 1st April following the retirement of Angus Johnston.

Walker takes the helm at a time when systemic shifts continue to shake the sector as it grapples with headwinds from the green transition, net zero, energy costs, supply chains, and the impact of hybrid working. 

He has held a number of leadership roles within PwC including leading the Engineering and Construction practice and the UK Real Estate tax practice, having joined the UK firm in 1998. Walker, who became a partner in 2015 and has undertaken a number of overseas secondments, advises a broad range of UK and global Real Estate clients and institutional investors from Asia. 

He says: “I am delighted to be taking on this role as Sector Leader of our Real Estate practice. Fresh from this year’s Mipim conference, it’s clear that the sector is keeping a keen eye on ongoing economic conditions, fluctuating interest rates, and shifting geopolitical landscapes. 

“However, the energy and enthusiasm around decarbonisation is hopeful and lends weight to the cautious optimism as noted in our report.

I look forward to working with the Real Estate and the wider Financial Services teams to help our clients navigate what will be another challenging but potentially exciting 12 months.

“I look forward to working with the Real Estate and the wider Financial Services teams to help our clients navigate what will be another challenging but potentially exciting 12 months.”

Isabelle Jenkins, Leader of Financial Services at PwC UK, adds: “I look forward to working closely with Rob as those who work and invest in the Real Estate sector face the exciting opportunities to come.

“Rob comes with a solid understanding of the market having worked in our Real Estate tax practice and will no doubt take this critical experience to help our clients face upcoming challenges.”

Walker’s appointment coincides with the release of the most recent Emerging Trends in Real Estate report which is produced annually by PwC and the UK’s Urban Land Institute (ULI) and assess the 12-month outlook for the real estate sector globally. This year’s report finds investors to be ‘cautiously optimistic’, with little evidence of appetites being tempered by current economic headwinds, and hopes pinned to a classic “U-shaped” economic recovery.