London, United Kingdom: Scotland's property advisory market has just seen a notable round of poaching. Newmark has expanded its Glasgow office with senior hires across its Valuation, Lease Consultancy and Building Consultancy teams, taking the office to more than 30 professionals. The firm says the move broadens its end-to-end advice across Scotland for owners, occupiers, investors and developers.
In Valuation, Gary Murphy and Ashley Hare join as partners from BNP Paribas Real Estate, where Murphy was head of valuation for Scotland and Hare was a director. Murphy brings more than 25 years' experience advising on commercial and residential valuations, with particular expertise in loan security valuations. Hare has more than 15 years' experience across commercial property, development land and residential, including purpose-built student accommodation. Together they strengthen Newmark's lender and valuation advisory capabilities in the region.
Graham Thomson joins as a partner in Lease Consultancy from Avison Young, where he was a director. With more than 30 years' experience, he advises corporate occupiers, landlords and public sector organisations on rent reviews, lease renewals and regears across Scotland, focusing on industrial and trade counter properties, offices and retail. In Building Consultancy, Chris Hutchinson joins as a partner and Conor McGinty as an associate, both from Cushman & Wakefield, where Hutchinson was a partner and McGinty a senior building surveyor. Their expertise spans project management, contract administration, dilapidations, defects analysis and technical due diligence, across offices, industrial, retail, hotels, healthcare and education.
The hires follow the arrival of Paul Broad to lead Newmark's National Offices team in Glasgow. Graham Howarth, partner for business rates and head of Newmark's Glasgow office, said the expansion reflects growing demand for joined-up advice. "The growth of the Glasgow team underscores our continued commitment to delivering exceptional advice backed by deep local market knowledge. As client requirements become increasingly complex, demand for integrated advice continues to grow. The additional expertise further strengthens our ability to deliver integrated advice across valuation, lease consultancy, building consultancy and transactional services, helping our clients navigate every stage of the property lifecycle," said Howarth.
What the announcement leaves unsaid matters to investors and developers. Newmark does not say what is driving the hiring in Glasgow, such as transaction volumes, lender activity or specific sectors, nor how much it is investing. Yet all five hires come from competitors, and three bring expertise in loan security valuations, student accommodation, technical due diligence, and dilapidations. That suggests demand for lender-facing valuation and building advice is a driver, and developers' financing schemes in Scotland may find a larger pool of advisers to choose from. Newmark's own research adds context, as its 2026 Retail Vitality Rankings showed Glasgow city centre climbing 20 places to 11th nationally.
People mentioned
- Gary Murphy, Partner, Valuation, Newmark Glasgow, formerly Head of Valuation for Scotland, BNP Paribas Real Estate
- Ashley Hare, Partner, Valuation, Newmark Glasgow, formerly Director, BNP Paribas Real Estate
- Graham Thomson, Partner, Lease Consultancy, Newmark Glasgow, formerly Director, Avison Young
- Chris Hutchinson, Partner, Building Consultancy, Newmark Glasgow, formerly Partner, Cushman & Wakefield
- Conor McGinty, Associate, Building Consultancy, Newmark Glasgow, formerly Senior Building Surveyor, Cushman & Wakefield
- Graham Howarth, Partner for Business Rates and Head of Newmark's Glasgow office
- Paul Broad, leads Newmark's National Offices team in Glasgow
Companies mentioned
- Newmark, global commercial real estate advisor and employer of the new hires
- BNP Paribas Real Estate, property adviser and former employer of Gary Murphy and Ashley Hare
- Avison Young, property adviser and former employer of Graham Thomson
- Cushman & Wakefield, property adviser and former employer of Chris Hutchinson and Conor McGinty
Get the latest commercial real estate news, investment insights, and property trends from Europe Real Estate, trusted by professionals since 1999.
Sign up for free weekly updates. Join here
