Career History

• Scottish Amicable • Property Director • 1985–1996
• Argyll Property Asset Managers/RREEF • Managing Director • 1996–2001
• Aberdeen Property Investors • Managing Director • 2001–2004
• Arlington Property Investors • Managing Director • 2004–2005
• Hunter Advisers • Managing Director • since 2005

Growing and managing a business

Between 1990, when the Scottish Amicable business won its first external mandate, and 2005 when he stepped down from Arlington Property Investors, David Hunter built, managed and protected one of the UK's foremost property fund management businesses.

Ultimately reaching £6.5bn in the UK and Europe, assets under the control of the business grew substantially over that 15 year period despite fluctuating as a result of external corporate events.

Hunter's achievements in retaining the loyalty of clients and key staff throughout potentially disruptive ownership changes in 1996, 2001 and 2004 are testament to his personal and communications skills.

The ultimate acquisition of the business by Arlington Securities, in May 2004, was driven by Hunter, who remained with the post-merger business for more than a year to ensure successful integration.

A Wealth of Experience

David Hunter's experience covers the full spectrum of property activity, ranging from the purchase and sale of billions of pounds of direct property assets, to the creation and management of Property Funds in various sectors.

Hunter's direct investment activity includes mainstream sectors such as offices in Central London and shopping centres across the UK, and also extends to less conventional sectors such as farms and pubs.

He is an active developer of properties on behalf of clients, and continues to deliver exceptional profits from transactions like 33 Old Broad Street, which he financed during the 1990's in the then unfashionable City of London.

Over the years Hunter's clients have also invested into a very wide range of indirect funds handled by specialist managers in the UK and Europe.

Hunter has long supported the use of indirect vehicles as a property investment medium for all sizes of institutional funds as well as for private individuals, delivering diversification, specialist management skills and access to gearing.

As a consequence, Hunter has been actively involved in the creation, financing and management of a number of major property funds including the Chiswick Park Property Unit Trust (see the Chiswick Park website), Regent Retail Park Trust, Regent Residential Trust and the Arlington UK Balanced Property Fund.

Representation

David Hunter was President of the British Property Federation (BPF) in 2003–04, during which time exceptional progress was made with Government on the introduction of UK REITs. Hunter remains at the front line of these discussions.

In 2006 he played a leading role in establishing the Scottish Property Federation (SPF) under the umbrella of the BPF. The organisation, with Hunter as Chairman, lobbies politicians and policy-makers on behalf of commercial property interests in Scotland.

He is a property adviser to the National Association of Pension Funds and a member of the Bank of England Property Forum. He is also a frequent conference speaker and contributor of articles to a wide range of journals, including the national press.

Hunter is perceived as a contrarian thinker, able to identify opportunity in the less fashionable parts of the market and also willing to sell on properties which he sees as ex-growth.

Awards

• Pensions World Property Fund Manager of the Year • personal • 1994
• Property Fund Manager of the Year • Argyll • 1999
• Property Fund Manager of the Year • Aberdeen Property Investors • 2002
• Property Innovation of the Year • member of REIT negotiation team • 2004
• Scottish Property Personality of the Year • personal • 2004
• Shortlisted for UK Property Personality of the Year • personal • 2004
• Shortlisted for UK Up and Coming Property Firm • Hunter Advisers • 2007

Personal

David Hunter, 53, lives in Glasgow with his wife and two daughters. Away from business his interests include field sports, golf and music. He is Honorary Swedish Consul to Glasgow.