Hammerson names Rob Wilkinson its new CEO

Hammerson on Tuesday announced the appointment of Rob Wilkinson as its incoming CEO. He’s set to join the board on 15 December as CEO designate and will take up his permanent role with effect from 1 January 2026.

He’ll succeed Rita-Rose Gagné who said in June that she intended to retire from Hammerson in 2026, following five years in the role that have seen a major turnaround of the portfolio and restructuring at the firm.  

Gagné will continue to lead the business during the rest of 2025 and ensure an orderly transfer of her responsibilities, before stepping down as CEO and from the board on 31 December.

Wilkinson will have a gross annual salary of £620,000 plus pension allowance and other awards to compensate him for bonuses forfeited on leaving his previous employer.

The new CEO has a long history in the property sector. He joins Hammerson from real estate investment management specialist AEW Europe where he was chief executive for over 11 years. He joined AEW in 2009, initially serving as chief investment officer in Europe until 2014 when he was appointed CEO. 

He was a non-executive director at residential landlord Grainger from 2015 to 2023 and has been a non-exec of commercial landlord Derwent London since 2024. 

It all adds up to 30 years of experience in real estate investment markets with his previous work at Goodman Group, Eurohypo and UBS taken into account. A qualified chartered accountant, he holds a degree in law from the University of Cambridge.

Hammerson chair Robert Noel hailed him as “an established and proven real estate leader who brings a wealth of experience and a track record of delivering shareholder value. Through a rigorous recruitment process, Rob stood out from a strong field of candidates as someone who was able to translate strategic insight into shareholder value creation through exceptional leadership”.