Christian Wright Email & Phone Number

Consultant for the data centre sector providing advice to operators and other key stakeholders

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Commercial Director for one of the largest regeneration projects in the world covering an area of 15 square kilometres in Central Riyadh. Responsible for the retail masterplan across the mega project, establishing unique retail propositions and providing strategic advice to drive innovation

A key member of the Executive Team charged with delivering one of the largest arts and cultural projects in the world. Covering a 40-hectare site adjoining Victoria Harbour in the heart of Hong Kong, the project comprises 17 arts and cultural venues interspersed with public open space, retail, offices, hotels and flats with a total gross floor area of 890,000 sq m. Reporting to the Main Board, I was responsible for the planning and delivery of all retail, dining and entertainment uses in the District as well as other income-generating opportunities including car parking and venue hire. Key achievements included:• Developing the commercial strategy for the whole cultural district• Setting up all procedures and governance mechanisms for leasing in the district• Developing commercial strategies for individual venues covering the target market positioning, trade mix and rental terms• Establishing the Commercial Department from scratch and managing a team which successfully leased out and oversaw shop openings in the early phase venues

Hong Kong

I provided commercial advice for many of the firm’s key retail projects around Asia with designreviews to ensure projects were underpinned by market principles and maximised revenue opportunities. By offering consulting services to clients, in addition to traditional architecture, the company was able to offer a 360-degree package leading to significant new commissions for the company. This included the redevelopment of Funan Mall in Singapore as part of a project dubbed the ‘Mall of the Future’ for CapitaLand. I was instrumental in the conceptual planning of the mixed-use project introducing innovative concepts blending the offline world with the online world. The mall recently opened to critical acclaim and is seen as a pioneering benchmark case study.

Hong Kong

I provided specialist retail planning advice for clients adopting a market-led approach to improve retail offers. Advice extended to optimum market positioning, trade & tenant mix strategy, design & layout solutions as well as identifying opportunities to increase revenue. The revitalization of Central Police Station (later re-branded as Tai Kwun) - a stand out mixed-use heritage project – is just one example of the many projects where I played an instrumental role in a scheme’s success.

I led the retail services team at Knight Frank, overseeing both the agency and consultancy divisions. During this period, I was the Chief Retail Specialist in the divestment of 180 shopping centres to the Link real estate investment trust (REIT) which was a US$2.5B initial public offering - the world's largest to a REIT. I worked extensively on the portfolio pre and post listing, leading multi-disciplinary teams to develop enhancement strategies. I also advised several investment funds on the acquisition of large shopping centres in Shanghai, Beijing and a number of cities across China, providing retail audits and identifying opportunities for increasing future revenue.For retailers, I advised on numerous business expansion strategies, identifying optimum locations for future outlets. Clients included major brands such as Marks & Spencer, Ikea, KFC, B&Q and Lush.