People

Ben has worked in the London property market for approaching two decades, initially as an agent at two of London’s most successful estate agencies. Upon leaving property sales Ben set up Knight James and now runs the business day to day.

He has an extensive knowledge of residential property and construction, having completed in excess of 50 developments and refurbishments. He is especially interested in the more technical aspects of the industry and really has a passion for anything property related.

Over the years Ben has built up a significant network of contacts, across North, Central and West London, whom he uses to source acquisitions at significantly below market value.

The business has grown rapidly over the past 8 years and is now made up of a group of companies with a development pipeline of c. £20,000,000 (GDV).

Ben was awarded 'Property Developer of the Year' and ‘Deal of the Year’ at the Property Investors' Awards.

Outside of work Ben enjoys swimming and is currently training for his Private Pilot's Licence (PPL).

Mary-Anne has worked within finance and accounts for over 15 years across many industries including: retail, petroleum, music and property.

She graduated as a part-qualified accountant under the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Mary-Anne also has a personal interest in property and owns a small portfolio of properties in one of the main cities of the Philippines.

She has a passion for developing her knowledge of the property world whilst using her accounting experience to ensure the administration side of the business runs smoothly.

She enjoys yoga, practices balancing energy centers and lives with her husband, daughter and baby son in East London.

Jacob is responsible for operational and back office side of the business, whether that be ensuring materials are ordered when they should or getting them to our various sites.

He plays a key role in the smooth running of the group and is currently being trained up as a project manager.

In his spare time Jacob enjoys keeping fit and going to the gym. He also has a real passion for cars and motorbikes.

Nan is our Partner Architect and whilst not working solely for Knight James, he works in close collaboration with us on all projects.

Nan graduated with a First Class MA in Architecture from the University of Cambridge. He joined Zaha Hadid Architects in London before joining Lehrer McGovern Bovis in New York City as Assistant Design Manager.

Nan returned to the UK to complete his Diploma in Architecture at Cambridge, from which he graduated with Distinction in 2001. He joined Eric Parry Architects and worked there for seven years and became a Project Architect on the award-winning renovation at St Martin-in-the-Fields. Upon completing St Martin’s, Nan formed SolidVoid Architects with two colleagues and immediately won a competition for a temporary exhibition in London for the City of Madrid.

Nan went on to found design-NA architects in 2010 as a sole practitioner. The practice has completed a number of projects in the UK and is working on a number of new-build residential and commercial projects both in the UK and internationally.

In his free time Nan is a big fan of classical music, regularly frequenting the opera and receitals.

With over 20 years of experience designing high end luxury interiors for hotels and residences around the world, Dane brings a unique perspective to each project drawing from his vast knowledge of working across multiple continents.

Dane was the former Design Director at De la Torre Design in New York and previously led project teams at David Collins Studio & Anouska Hempel Design in London. He has a wealth of experience working with developers, hoteliers, architects and private clients in delivering tailored and unique designs at the highest level.