2. Harry Knibb, VP of Development at Oxford Properties: Decarbonisation and the Case for Optimism

In this episode of Development Diaries, host John Guest sits down with Harry Knibb, Vice President of Development at Oxford Properties and Non- Executive Director at the Academy of Urbanism, whose career spans project management, Residential led mixed-use development, and high-quality London office across some of the world's most ambitious real estate portfolios.Harry shares his journey from a philosophy degree to a graduate role at M3 Consulting, through an MSc at Reading, and into the upper echelons of international real estate investment and development. He reflects on the blurred lines between project management and development management, the value of being a sponge early in your career, and the importance of putting your hand up for new challenges before you feel fully ready.Beyond his own trajectory, Harry explores Oxford Properties' current European strategy - from landmark London offices to logistics and life sciences - and his conviction that high-quality core London real estate remains one of the most resilient asset classes through any cycle. The conversation tackles the industry's biggest challenge: decarbonising the built environment whilst delivering more homes and workspace, and why moving fast and breaking things simply doesn't work in real estate.We wrap up the conversation with the optimism question and challenge the industry to keep the narrative upbeat to enable us to attract capital and the workforce of the future.