Chestertons, a leading international real estate services company, has strengthened its Middle East and North Africa (Mena) advisory team with the appointment of Chris Hobden as the new strategic consultancy head.

Based in the company’s Middle East head office in Dubai, Hobden will be responsible for driving the company’s consultancy services through feasibility study, design consultancy and market research projects.
 
Hobden brings a wealth of real estate advisory experience from both an international and GCC perspective, having joined Savills’ Bahrain-based Northern Gulf advisory team as associate director in 2017, before going on to lead the company’s research and consultancy services in Thailand.

Prior to his role at Savills, Hobden spent over three years with CBRE in Thailand and Cambodia during which time he headed the research, consulting and valuation team in the latter.

He started his career in the UK, working for a firm of chartered surveyors, covering commercial agency and professional services.

In the GCC, Hobden has advised a broad range of office, retail, hotel and residential developments in Bahrain, Oman and the UAE.

Lauding the appointment, Managing Director (Mena) Nick Witty, said: "The international experience and ability to work across both the consulting and valuation service lines underscores the importance of Hobden’s appointment as we further strengthen our Mena advisory team."

"As our business continues to grow year-on-year in the region, Chris will have a vital role to play in supporting that growth and expanding our service offering into new territories. Going forward, we look forward to introducing him to our regional client base," he added.

Chestertons Mena offers a full range of property services, including residential and commercial sales and leasing, investment agency services together with professional valuation, plant and machinery services and advisory and research.

On his new role, Hobden said: "I am delighted to join Chestertons, having always admired the firm’s depth of expertise and diverse service offering across Mena. I look forward to supporting Chestertons’ continued growth in the UAE, Bahrain and the wider region."

He is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) and a RICS-Registered Valuer.-TradeArabia News Service