Introducing the newest member of the TwentyTwo Tribe, Rob Campbell.
Rob calls Auckland home and will be heading-up TwentyTwo’s Auckland office.
I recently sat down with Rob to learn a little more about his background and what gets him out of bed in the morning.
So Rob, welcome to TwentyTwo, tell me a little bit about your world and who you share it with:
I share my world with Alison and our nine year old son Max, oh, and a six-month-old puppy. I’m not sure which one of them has more energy!
How long have you been in Auckland and what do you love about it?
I was born in Glasgow (that might explain my quirky sense of humour), but I consider Auckland home having lived here from a young age.
I’ve loved watching the city grow and mature over the years, with infrastructure investments and new precincts seeming to pop up overnight. Auckland is made up of these great localised, mixed communities. I’m working out of the Generator in Britomart, which in itself is a really exciting hub of really interesting people and organisations doing some really cool stuff.
TwentyTwo Auckland office at Generator
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Technically I guess it’s the alarm clock and the thought of a hot coffee! Jokes aside though, I’m passionate about surrounding myself with fun and interesting people who I can learn from.
I’m really interested in business strategy and how property can drive business growth. For me it’s not just about property, it’s about business solutions. Learning about my clients and what they are trying to achieve- helping them to be successful is immensely rewarding.
Tell me a little bit about your work history:
I’ve always been in property, but I’ve made a point of exploring the many corners of the industry; valuation, portfolio management, development management and most recently I’ve enjoyed working on the occupier side of the table.
I believe that having this diversity of experience has given me a broad perspective of the business world and an amazing network of interesting people to call on!
What excites you about TwentyTwo?
The things that stands out for me are the knowledge and experience of the team and how everyone is just keen to make things happen.
You’re a bunch of dynamic and personable people with fresh ideas of how TwentyTwo can add value for our clients and their wider business strategies.
I’m really honoured to work with Directors like you Dean, Duncan and David who all have such passion for what they do and are very well respected in the business community.
Any goals for 2018?
Obviously one of my goals is to have a great first year at TwentyTwo and to help as many clients achieve their goals as possible.
On the personal side, I’m planning a motorbike ride across part of Thailand in July.
What is your take on the current Auckland commercial property market?
All forecasts point to Auckland’s population and economy continuing to grow over the next 20+years. That’s obviously putting some strain on infrastructure and housing. While there are a number of positive initiatives underway , like the City Rail Link, the need for more investment in these areas is overdue.
Growth has also been catalyst for extensive redevelopment of many parts of the wider city. This has spurred the likes of Wynyard Quarter, Westgate and Hobsonville Point for example– expanding the commercial hubs across the city– making Auckland a city of many diverse business communities. While the CBD will remain the heart of the commercial precinct, with Commercial Bay being the focal point in the immediate future(when it opens in 2019) this trend will continue, and we will see more commercial development, mixed used development across the city.
The increasing range of locations/options forces clients to hone-in more on the“location economics” of where they are best located– as part of considering their office, retail or industrial ‘premises’.
With a city the size of Auckland(at an international equivalent scale) location economics becomes a much bigger decision tool.