02 May, London, UK, - Following the recent £35 million investment in the data centre market with the MK DataVault, commercial real estate and leisure investment group PMB Holdings is promoting director Ed Jones to the role of Chief Executive Officer. Jones’ unusual blend of investment trading, finance and property development experience give him the credentials to lead the business as the UK crawls out of the recession, taking well-judged speculative development risk at a time when few others are able to take advantage of the lack of development pipeline.
Peter Beckwith, who founded the company in 1992 following the sale of London & Edinburgh Trust Plc, will continue to take an active role in the company, serving as Executive Chairman of the Board.
Jones, who has built a strong reputation for delivering consistently high returns for the business, has backed his own judgement by investing his own capital into all PMBH’s deals over the past decade. He is known for spotting opportunities in new markets, and for identifying under-performing assets that can be transformed with property expertise and the judicious use of capital. Joining the company in 2000, Jones has been responsible for the Group’s investment and development business in the UK since 2002.
Ed Jones said: “We continue to strengthen our position in the market by investing in new areas, bringing projects like the MK DataVault to fruition. Many firms are unable to invest as the effects of the recession continue to linger, but I believe it is important to maintain investment and create more business in the UK. We remain in a strong position following the sale of 75 per cent of our portfolio just before the economic downturn in 2007 and intend to continue to make good use of this capital by taking advantage of interesting opportunities in the market.”
Peter Beckwith, founder and chairman of PMB Holdings, added: “I have absolute confidence in Ed’s performance as CEO. His strong character, creativity and experience in property, finance and investment has brought huge success to the company over the past decade, adding value to projects and taking smart investment decisions at the right time. Whilst the rest of the market is sleeping, we are out there taking risks and continuing to see excellent returns on our investments.”
Ed was educated at Radley College and Reading University graduating from the latter in 1988 with a BSc (Hons) in Land Management, Planning and Property Development. He has since left his mark on the town, having developed The Blade, Reading’s tallest building, which has become an iconic landmark for the capital of Thames Valley.
