A collective of
inspired minds

Under James’ leadership, Sellar has become renowned for delivering some of the boldest and most complex mixed-use schemes, often at major transport hubs across central London. With extensive experience across all principal property sectors and an intrinsic understanding of real estate investment, asset management and development, James’ most notable achievements have been the delivery of internationally recognised Shard Quarter development at London Bridge and the urban transformation of Paddington Square, while simultaneously progressing the other properties in Sellar’s 5 million sq ft development pipeline.

In a career spanning over 30 years, Duncan has set investment strategies and managed real estate portfolios on both public and private markets through a number of economic cycles, and across all the main real estate sectors and in each region of the global markets. Duncan was Global Head of Real Estate at Schroders plc from 2012 to 2020, a role which included being the CEO of Schroders Real Estate Investment Management Ltd. Prior to Schroders, Duncan was CEO of Invista Real Estate Investment Management Holdings plc from 2006 to 2011 during which time he oversaw the creation of the business via a spin-out from HBOS’s Insight Investment Management, as well as its subsequent IPO. Between 1990 and 2000, Duncan held various roles at Jones Lang LaSalle and LaSalle Investment Management. Duncan is currently a non-executive director at Workspace Group plc (the flexible workspace REIT) as well as being on the Board of Governors for the Church Commissioners, an appointment of the Prime Minister’s office, where he is on the Property Investment (chair) Committee and also sits on the Social Impact Investment Committee. As Chairman at Sellar, Duncan brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in real estate with a great reputation and track record in establishing and operating successful Investment Management platforms.

Melinda is responsible for financial, tax and risk aspects of Sellar. Previously, Melinda was Chief Operating Officer for Schroders Real Estate from 2013 to 2022, responsible for finance and operations, globally. She was a Director on all key real estate management companies at Schroders.  Melinda was also a member of the Investment Committees (Global Direct, Indirect and Debt) and Risk and Valuation Committees.​ Prior to this, Melinda was Head of Fund Accounting at Invista Real Estate PLC, having qualified as a chartered accountant with Ernst and Young.​ Melinda is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW) and holds an MA in Economics from Cambridge University

Owen oversees Sellar’s operations encompassing the delivery of our projects. Having initially qualified as a chartered civil engineer working for Taylor Woodrow, Owen delivered large scale commercial and infrastructure projects including Kings Cross underground station. Owen then joined Deloitte where he was involved with M&A and property restructuring. He moved to QNB Capital in 2010 where he set up and ran their UK and European real estate team, a role which included the State of Qatar’s investment in the development of The Shard alongside Sellar. Building on his longstanding connection with the business, Owen moved across to Sellar in 2018 bringing his well-rounded industry perspective to our Senior Management Team.

As Group Executive Director, Development and Planning, Barry oversees Sellar’s new and existing development projects, including Sellar’s latest urban transformation, Paddington Square and Liverpool Street station. Barry joined Sellar Property Group as Development Director in 1998, and was responsible for the planning consent and leasing of The Shard and the News Building. He has over 40 years’ experience across all sectors of the UK property market adding a wealth of knowledge to Sellar’s project teams.

Andrew is responsible for investments and joint ventures managed by Sellar and raising equity and debt capital. ​Andrew was previously Head of Real Estate Finance for Schroders. His role spanned individual investments, joint ventures and funds across a range of sectors and strategies. He was responsible for formulating, executing and managing the capital structure and debt financing of real estate investments and was also closely involved with structuring joint venture investments and partnerships.​ Prior to this, Andrew spent four years at Invista REIM PLC, where he was involved with acquiring and managing new direct property acquisitions and JVs. Before Invista, Andrew was an Associate in the CMBS team at HSBC. ​ Andrew qualified as a Chartered Surveyor with Knight Frank. 

Vee has over 25 years of experience implementing organisational development and transformational change with senior roles at Warner Music, Whitbred and The Times Educational Supplement. At Sellar, she has been focused on building its internal culture and talent to support its business objectives. Vee is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, holds a Chartered Institute of Marketing post graduate diploma and a global certificate in organisation development/applied behavioural science.

Kiran Patel has 33 years’ experience in global real estate investment markets across multiple sectors and a diverse range of investment strategies. Kiran has been a senior figure at Savills IM for almost a decade, having joined as Global Chief Investment Officer in 2012 and, more latterly in 2019, added Deputy CEO to his responsibilities. Prior to Savills IM, Kiran spent 12 years in senior roles at AXA Real Estate (now AXA IM Alts) where he was Head of Business Development, Distribution, Research & Strategy and sat on both the Management Board and Executive Committee. Prior to that he was Associate Director at Legal and General, having started his career in the late 1980s with the UK surveying firm Hillier Parker May and Rowden. Kiran brings with him a multitude of real estate investment expertise, having worked across continents and several property functions. He brings with him an understanding of strong execution around risk management, governance, sustainability and performance delivery.