What’s your role, and what does a typical day look like

I head up Client Capital, leading investor engagement and developing investment solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients. That said, working in a start-up means wearing many hats. One day I might be supporting Rob, our CFO, on the operations and risk framework; the next, shaping our private wealth strategy or collaborating with Will and Nick to respond to investor queries. And yes, sometimes it’s about adding a bit of ‘jazz hands’ to a presentation!

What attracted you to Aboria?

For me, it was the chance to help shape a new investment firm from the ground up. Everyone here joined not just for a job, but to be part of something formative, where decisions are made collectively. Without the weight of legacy systems, we can stay agile, adopt new technologies quickly, and adapt as we grow. Aboria was built to be a place where innovation isn’t just encouraged, it’s expected.

We’re intentionally lean, which means every hire is great at what they do. There’s no room for mediocrity. In a small firm, leadership and vision are everything, and having worked with Jessica before, I knew I was making the right decision.

What is the most important thing you have learnt since joining Aboria?

Understanding football, cricket, and golf seems to be essential and I’ve learnt that Everton is apparently the best football team. My Dad had told me Queen of the South were the best, so you learn something new every day! Thankfully, the Gents have been very patient with my endless questions.

On a more serious note, in PBSA, having a single source of truth for data is critical, along with the right tech stack to analyse it effectively. Continuous measurement of key data points allows us to optimise asset performance and squeeze out every last drop of efficiency, vital in an increasingly competitive market.

Fortunately, Downing isn’t new to this space. We’ve been investing heavily in technology infrastructure to ensure we stay ahead of the curve.

How do you see AI reshaping capital allocation in real estate over the next five years?

I believe we’ll see a clear divergence in how investors adopt AI, between those able to elevate their teams to focus on strategic, value-adding work and those who are not.

AI has the potential to transform underwriting and due diligence, which is critical given how resource constraint many LP investment teams have become. Today, these teams are under immense pressure to deploy capital with limited capacity, and that creates risk. From a fiduciary perspective, this is why mega-funds have thrived in recent years, they’ve been perceived as the safe, often easier, allocation decision.

The real estate market is evolving faster than ever before, and the only way to uphold fiduciary duties to pensioners, insurers, and stakeholders is to leverage AI intelligently. Those who fail to do so risk being left behind.