logo
Former Olympic sailor steers new path with property firm

Former Olympic sailor steers new path with property firm

Yahooa day ago
A former Olympic sailing hopeful is making waves in a new career.
Alice Masterman, a senior surveyor and former member of the British Sailing Team, has joined the South Coast agency team at Vail Williams.
She will focus on commercial property across the region from the consultancy's Southampton and Portsmouth offices.
Her new role covers leasehold and freehold acquisitions and disposals for occupiers and landlords in the office, industrial, and retail sectors.
Prior to her property career, Alice Masterman, pictured, was a member of the British Sailing Team campaign for four years in the Olympics' women's class: the 49er FX skiff (Image: Ron Wain) Alice said: "The long-established Vail Williams agency team on the South Coast are well respected and, as the regional property award shows, have consistently demonstrated proactive consultancy and results for clients.
"I look forward to helping landlords and occupiers deliver on their property objectives.
"The team has been incredibly welcoming, and I've hit the ground running, getting involved in as much of the portfolio as possible.
"The weeks are flying by, and it's been a whirlwind of both professional growth and fantastic networking opportunities."
READ MORE: Major devolution conference to be held in Southampton
Before starting her property career, Alice spent four years competing in the Olympics' women's class 49er FX skiff as part of the British Sailing Team.
She entered the property industry in 2021 after completing her master's degree and most recently worked for Flude Property Consultants in the South East.
Nik Cox, South Coast agency team leader at Vail Williams, said: "Alice joins us here at Vail Williams at an incredibly exciting time as we continue to deliver for landlords and occupiers across the South Coast region.
"This year saw the firm named Property Agency of the Year at the South Coast Property Awards 2025."
Russell Mogridge, head of the firm's national agency team, said: "The South Coast agency team is one of the largest in the region and the most active in the South.
"The appointment of Alice further strengthens our core offering and she has already become a valuable asset to the team."
Alice is also involved in industry organisations, serving on the PropSail Committee, which organises property networking sailing regattas, and the RICS MATRICS Committee, which supports students, apprentices, and newly qualified professionals entering the industry.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Aimco sells 5 Boston properties for $740M
Aimco sells 5 Boston properties for $740M

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Aimco sells 5 Boston properties for $740M

This story was originally published on Multifamily Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Multifamily Dive newsletter. In January 2025, Aimco's board of directors decided to explore alternatives to 'unlock and maximize shareholder value' for the Denver-based REIT. Shop Top Mortgage Rates Personalized rates in minutes A quicker path to financial freedom Your Path to Homeownership Aimco took one step in that direction earlier this month with the sale of a portfolio of five suburban Boston-area properties in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, totaling 2,719 units, to an affiliate of Harbor Group International for $740 million, according to a news release. HGI completed due diligence and made a $20 million nonrefundable deposit. Four of the five asset sales are expected to close during the third quarter of this year, while the final one is anticipated to close in the fourth quarter. 'The agreement to sell our suburban Boston portfolio represents another important step in our ongoing commitment to maximize and unlock value for Aimco shareholders,' company President and CEO Wes Powell said in the news release. The five properties were built between 1970 and 1974, according to a news release from Harbor Group. Their unit interiors feature stainless steel appliances and hardwood flooring. Amenities across the properties include swimming pools, fitness centers, clubhouses and community green spaces. As of July 2025, the portfolio was 95.7% occupied. Historical occupancy has averaged 97% since 2022. "The addition of these communities will deepen HGI's presence within the Boston area, a market exhibiting robust multifamily fundamentals where we already have a strong operating footprint," said Yisroel Berg, chief investment officer of multifamily at HGI in Harbor Group's news release. Aimco's next moves Aimco remains on track to sell its Brickell Assemblage, which includes The Yacht Club Apartments and the adjacent 1001 Brickell Bay Drive office building, located in Miami, for $520 million, as announced in January. During July, the buyer exercised its final closing extension option and increased its nonrefundable deposit by $7 million, bringing the total to $50 million. Closing is now scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2025. Aimco expects to gain $1.26 billion in gross proceeds from the Boston and Brickell transactions. When accounting for associated property-level debt and the deferred tax liability related to the Brickell assets, net proceeds should be approximately $785 million, or $5.21 per common share. Following the sales in Boston and Miami, Aimco's remaining portfolio will comprise 18 apartment communities, containing 3,457 units. Those properties are concentrated in suburban Chicago and the Washington, D.C., metro area. The REIT also has three lease-up properties slated to be fully stabilized at the end of 2026. Aimco is also developing a waterfront residential tower in Miami, which is on schedule for delivery in 2027, and a controlled development pipeline containing the potential for more than 3,700 new apartment homes, according to the news release. Even after the Boston and Miami sales, Aimco will continue to explore further ways to maximize and unlock shareholder value through additional strategic transactions. Those could include the sale of additional components of the portfolio, individual asset sales or a sale or merger of the company. Morgan Stanley & Co. is serving as the REIT's financial advisor through the process. Aimco spun off from Denver-based Apartment Income REIT Corp. in December 2020. Last April, AIR and New York City-based investment manager Blackstone announced they had entered into an agreement for Blackstone Real Estate Partners X to acquire all outstanding common shares of AIR for approximately $10 billion, including the assumption of debt. Click here to sign up to receive multifamily and apartment news like this article in your inbox every weekday. Recommended Reading Fogelman makes a purchase near the University of Georgia Sign in to access your portfolio

As Opendoor CEO Carrie Wheeler Steps Down, How Should You Play OPEN Stock Here?
As Opendoor CEO Carrie Wheeler Steps Down, How Should You Play OPEN Stock Here?

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

As Opendoor CEO Carrie Wheeler Steps Down, How Should You Play OPEN Stock Here?

Opendoor (OPEN) shares closed higher on Friday after the digital real estate platform said Carrie Wheeler – its chief executive and chair of the board – is stepping down from both of her top roles. The online company that buys and sells residential property has already started looking for a new CEO. In the meantime, Shrisha Radhakrishna will serve as interim leader, its press release revealed on Aug. 15. More News from Barchart UnitedHealth Stock Soars as Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Discloses $1.57B Stake Apple CEO Tim Cook Says the Technology They're Developing Will Be 'One of the Most Profound Technologies of Our Lifetime' Palantir CEO Alex Karp Sees More Gains Ahead With America-Focused Growth Strategy, Calls U.S. The 'Leader of the Free World' Get exclusive insights with the FREE Barchart Brief newsletter. Subscribe now for quick, incisive midday market analysis you won't find anywhere else. Radhakrishna has so far been with OPEN as its chief of product and technology. Including today's surge, Opendoor stock is up nearly 550% versus its year-to-date low set in the final week of June. Is Wheeler's Departure a Positive for Opendoor Stock? Investors cheered Wheeler's departure today mostly because there have been several high-profile calls for her to step down from her leadership roles in recent days. Eric Jackson, the founder and president of EMJ Capital, for example, called her a 'clear distraction for the business' in his latest social media post, adding 'you have lost all confidence … and have put yourself above shareholder interest.' Before him, Opendoor co-founder Keith Rabois also wrote 'not even a single founder or executive supports Carrie as chief executive.' OPEN shares are now trading only slightly below their year-to-date high. Is It Worth Buying OPEN Shares at Current Levels? Note that Eric Jackson's aforementioned X post also claimed OPEN stock will gain if Carrie Wheeler stepped down as the Nasdaq-listed firm's top executive. In July, Jackson even dubbed Opendoor shares the next Carvana (CVNA), saying the California-based firm could eventually trade at over $80 per share, or more than 2,500% above its current stock price. Other notable names that share Jackson's optimism on OPEN shares include Anthony Pompliano, a famed crypto investor, who disclosed a sizable stake in the digital real estate platform earlier this week. Wall Street Remains Bearish on Opendoor Technologies Despite bullish recent commentary from the likes of Eric Jackson and Anthony Pompliano, Wall Street remains bearish on Opendoor stock for the back half of 2025. The consensus rating on OPEN shares currently sits at 'Hold' only with the mean target of $1.11 only indicating potential downside of more than 60% from here. On the date of publication, Wajeeh Khan did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Sign in to access your portfolio

Beijing's 'Robot Olympics' Are Off and Running (and Falling)
Beijing's 'Robot Olympics' Are Off and Running (and Falling)

CNET

time4 hours ago

  • CNET

Beijing's 'Robot Olympics' Are Off and Running (and Falling)

China just turned a pair of Olympic venues into a playground for robots. The inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games, running from Aug. 15-17, opened Friday with soccer, sprints, kickboxing and table tennis, as well as a healthy number of face-plants. The games feature 280 robot teams from 16 countries and hundreds of bipedal bots vying for medals and whatever passes for bragging rights to robots. Events are split between two 2022 Winter Olympics landmarks: China's National Stadium and the National Speed Skating Oval. On the schedule: track and field, football (soccer to Americans), table tennis, and "scenario" trials such as medicine sorting, cleaning services and industrial handling—the kind of practical skills that robot-makers actually care about. Humanoid robots compete in the 5 vs. 5 soccer event on day one of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. VCG/Getty images The highlight reel revealed more chaos than control: robots colliding mid-match, sprinters crumpling mid-stride and kickboxers needing a reboot. But there were bright spots, too. Some bots popped back to their feet unassisted and even finished middle-distance runs as handlers puffed behind them. There was even a 1,500-meter race. Tickets ran 128–580 yuan (about $18–$81). The robot athletes are supplied by a combination of academia and industry, including China's Unitree and Fourier, with squads also from the US, Germany, Brazil, Japan and more. Organizers pitch the weekend as data collection under pressure, with sports forcing the robots to demonstrate balance, vision and decision-making, all of which later will translate over to the robot's work in factories, logistics and as home helpers. Humanoid robots run in the 1500-meter race at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. Kevin Frayer/Getty images China is using the Games to showcase its bet on embodied AI -- software linked to machines that can navigate human spaces. The country has poured billions of dollars into robotics and is planning a 1-trillion-yuan ( about $137 billion) fund for startups as part of a push to counter an aging-workforce crunch and compete in advanced manufacturing. Rules vary by event, but organizers say competitions span autonomous control and remote operation: either way, no mid-match "player swaps" for fresh robots are allowed. That means lots of stress testing on robot batteries, heat management and recovery behaviors in real-time chaos. The Associated Press has streamed some of the Games if you want to check it out. The event runs through Aug. 17.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store