What do I know? Peter Hobbs, Senior Director at IPD

what-do-I-know-peter-hobbs

Peter Hobbs has widespread experience of advising investors across European, US and Asian markets. As Senior Director of Group Business Development at IPD (Investment Property Databank), he is focused on developing the commercial strategy of the company, overseeing IPDs client facing. This includes responsibility for three main areas of IPD: product development, marketing and overall research. FST asked him to share some of his expertise in heading up a successful company in this challenging time.

What would you say are the biggest trends and challenges affecting the research industry right now?

Over recent years, real estate has become established as the dominant "Alternative" asset, driven by its performance behaviour and attractiveness to institutional investors around the world. But it remains an "alternative" and has been deeply impacted by the global financial crisis, so research continues to play a big role in helping the industry to mature. This revolves around improved understanding and better risk management throughout the industry. 

How has IPD tackled these challenges and grown throughout the global financial crisis?

The financial crisis has generated significant stress throughout the industry.  This stress has increased demand for better information and improved risk management, and IPD has responded to these trends by focusing its activities on those markets (such as US and UK) and industry sectors (such as banks and global real estate managers) with greatest need for assistance in these areas.

What advice would you give to those in the financial services industry wishing to succeed in a harsh economic climate?

The experience of IPD through the crisis reaffirms three important themes that have driven IPD's growth through its history.  First: strong technical development to enable the creation of innovative business tools and applications. Second: a focus on the needs of customers and the ways they vary through the economic cycle, from country to country and by segment. Third: the building of a well-co-ordinated and collaborative team straddling global markets, to ensure local innovation whilst preserving a strong global framework and brand. 

Founded in the UK in 1985, IPD began by compiling data and developing benchmarking services for leading commercial property investors. Building up its property-by-property information, IPD soon became the UK's first reliable index of property returns, and the approach started to be deployed in markets outside of the UK. Today, with a staff of over 300, they operate in over 20 countries including US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.  Earlier this year they were awarded the Queens Award for International Trade, after already having received the award in 2005.

Prior to joining IPD, Dr. Hobbs was Managing Director at Deutsche Bank, working as Global Head of Real Estate Research for RREEF, the real estate division of Deutsche Asset Management. He was responsible for leading the company's global research coverage.

IPD is a global real estate information business with services related to the commercial real estate market, producing research and analysis for some of the world's leading real estate investors, occupiers, advisors, lenders, analysts and researchers.

The company is the world leader in performance analysis for the owners, investors, managers and occupiers of real estate. To guarantee independence IPD do not participate in real estate investment markets and do not offer consultancy advice on investment decisions or other real estate issues. 

IPD offer: real estate performance analysis; market indices; research and publications; and events and training in most of the real estate markets it operates in.

"The way we work is designed to give you clear, timely information and the research and the training you need to understand the world of real estate and performance analysis and making it work for you. In order to meet your evolving needs we are continually refining our services and adhere to the highest standards of real estate data collection, validation, processing and reporting." IPD says.