Bellier Communication, the boutique public relations consultancy focused on the real estate, cross-asset investment management and corporate private equity sectors, has appointed Emma Villiers as a Director in its London office to further develop its UK presence and extend the agency’s operations in European markets.
Emma Villiers was formerly Global Head of Communication at ING Real Estate in The Hague, before the financial crisis, when it was the largest real estate asset manager in the world by AUM. Prior to that, she was Land Securities’ (now LandSec), first ever Communication Director in London, at a time when it was Europe’s biggest listed real estate company by market capitalization, and where she built a multi-award-winning communication team.
Steve Hays, Co-founding Managing Director at Bellier, said: “Emma is one of the most experienced communication specialists in the UK and pan-European real estate investment industries, having worked at the top levels of blue-chip firms in both the listed and non-listed sectors, as well as building the property practice at a large City financial PR agency in London. Her broad perspective, gained from working across real estate cycles, will be invaluable for Bellier’s clients as we continue to build the business in the UK, the Netherlands, and other European markets. Emma’s deep insights have already proved their worth in corporate communication structuring projects she has undertaken for Bellier’s listed and private equity real estate clients in Germany and the Netherlands since the middle of last year.”
In her career, spanning over 20 years, Emma has worked with some of the UK’s other pre-eminent real estate brands including Richard Ellis (now CBRE), Helical Bar, Quintain and Battersea Power Station. She also previously led the property practice at the City communication agency Financial Dynamics, now FTI. Emma has substantial capital markets experience combined with strategic positioning, media relations, social media and internal communication, and brings a comprehensive understanding of clients’ needs across multiple channels and audiences.
Emma Villiers, Director Bellier UK, said: “Bellier’s approach encompasses the best practices that I’ve come to value in two decades in the European real estate marketing and communication business. From a foundation of solid market expertise, they have built a great agency by relentlessly focusing on results and client service and this is reflected in a first-class client list that has included many of the top names in the industry over the years. What attracted me most – Bellier’s headquarters in Amsterdam and their pan-European perspective, which makes it so much easier for UK headquartered real estate companies to build their reputation outside the UK market, and with a London office we can also provide our European clients with on the ground expertise in the UK. I’m excited to be part of the team and even more so to building the business further.”
