Hammerson hires new chief executive to succeed Rita-Rose Gagné
Shopping centre owner Hammerson has appointed Rob Wilkinson as its new chief executive.
Wilkinson has been working as chief executive at AEW Europe for the last 11 years and prior to that served as the company’s chief investment officer in Europe.
He was previously a non-executive director at Grainger from 2015 to 2023 and has been a non-executive director of Derwent London since 2024.
With 30 years of experience in real estate investment markets, he has also previously worked at Goodman Group, Eurohypo and UBS.
Wilkinson will join the Hammerson board on 15 December as chief executive officer designate. He will officially take the reins as chief executive on 1 January when he will succeed Rita-Rose Gagné, who announced back in June that she would be retiring from her role in 2026.
Robert Noel, chair of Hammerson, said: “Rob is an established and proven real estate leader who brings a wealth of experience and a track record of delivering shareholder value.
“Through a rigorous recruitment process, Rob stood out from a strong field of candidates as someone who was able to translate strategic insight into shareholder value creation through exceptional leadership.
“On behalf of the Board, I welcome Rob to Hammerson and look forward to working with him when he joins the business in December.”
