Changing the
game since 2002
Our unrivalled track record of identifying opportunities, securing planning consents, financing and developing large and sometimes complex projects is well established. After years of operational experience, we also have a detailed understanding of the core skills required to assemble and run a successful student accommodation or living portfolio.
Meet the team
Alan Artus
| Co-founder & CEO
With over 40 years of experience, Alan has an extensive track record, having held senior positions at several leading development companies before founding Generation Estates, including City & West End Developments and London & Edinburgh Trust.
Between 2010 and 2015, Alan led a joint venture with The Carlyle Group, creating and operating a £530m portfolio of high-quality purpose built student accommodation assets. Before this, Alan worked on three joint ventures with The Blackstone Group that developed and operated over 2,500 student beds.
Gareth Davies
| Co-founder & COO
Gareth has over 40 years’ real estate industry experience and has specialised in purpose-built student accommodation for the last 20 years.
Today, Gareth is responsible for running all of Generation’s various entities, whilst also overseeing any commercial leasing within the portfolios.
As a result of exposure to PBSA prior to the formation of Generation, Gareth was able to identify the potential to redevelop 200 Pentonville Road as a sizeable mixed-use scheme anchored by student accommodation. The project was notable as it introduced both Generation and Blackstone into the London student accommodation market and the completed project, Nido Kings Cross, redefined student living in London and ultimately across the UK. This was followed by two further projects with Blackstone, the creation of Pure Student Living with The Carlyle Group, Highlight Student Living in the Republic of Ireland and the Europa Generation Student Fund.
Gareth is a founder of Generation Estates Ltd and a founding Partner in Generation Partners LLP where he serves as the Chief Operating Officer. He is also a Partner in the Europa Generation Student Fund and a member of its investment committee and a Director of Now Student Living Limited.
Prior to the creation of Generation Estates, Gareth was a Director of The Osborne Group where he was responsible for a number of mixed-use development projects in London. He started his career at St Quintin in the City of London and was subsequently a Partner of Grimley JR Eve.
Gareth hold an honours degree from the University of Reading where he read Land Management qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor in 1985. He is currently on the board of Yarmouth Harbour where he is Commissioner.
Nick Kinder
| Investment Director
Nick Kinder has over 20 years of experience in real estate and banking. Nick co-founded Europa Generation and Generation Partners with Alan and Gareth and has been responsible for acquiring and financing circa 6,000 beds for the Europa Generation Fund, Ares Management and Crosstree Real Estate Partners.
Before entering the PBSA market in 2008, Nick worked in the European Real Estate Finance business at Deutsche Bank for seven years and before that at DTZ, focusing on European Real Estate funds, corporate finance and strategy.
Nick holds a BSc from Bristol University, an MSc from Bayes (Cass) Business School and a Certificate of Business from Columbia Business School in New York.
Paul Watson
| Director of Operations
Paul leads the development and delivery of the operational platform Now Student Living. Delivering the onboarding, integrating and ongoing operations of all new assets into the portfolio. Managing ongoing performance across all aspects of the residential estate.
Paul started his career in student accommodation in 2004 and has extensive experience in the commercial and physical operation of PBSA. Before joining Generation, Paul was Operations Director at Liberty Living and sat on the Board during the CPPIB period of ownership, and he was central to delivering the sale of the 25,000-bed portfolio to Unite Students in 2019 for c.£2.4Bn.
Rina Patel
| Finance Director
Rina Patel has over 20 years of experience in financial services, predominantly with Real Estate Funds; Rina also spent several years with PE FOF Pantheon Ventures with responsibilities spanning finance, compliance, and risk, dealing closely with the Investment and Operations teams.
Rina spent a few years post-qualification with KPMG in their Property Tax department before moving into Real Estate Funds. Rina is an ICAEW Chartered Accountant (FCA) and holds a Financial Planning Certificate.
