Former John Lewis Partnership (JLP) property chief Katherine Russell has launched a consultancy advising investors.

Her creation is called Lived. and launches with an unnamed major institutional investment as the first client. 

Russell was in charge of the JLP Build To Rent project for some time, prior to it withdrawing from BTR early this year. 

The JLP portfolio reached around 1,000 homes under management across Leeds, Leicester, Birmingham and Stratford.

At the time a JLP spokesperson said: “Our rental property ambition was based on a very different financial environment: one with more stable investment returns, lower borrowing costs and more affordable costs to build homes. 

“Unfortunately, the current climate – higher interest rates, inflationary pressures and a more cautious property market – has meant the model no longer meets the Partnership’s investment criteria.”

Russell says she will help develop her client’s residential strategy and strengthen the performance of its existing portfolio. 

She is also advising other businesses, including a private family office and asset managers alongside her board role at Dolphin Living. 

She says: “There is still huge opportunity but it’s a tough market to make things happen in. Capital is selective and viability is stretched. 

“Operating businesses need investment and scale to succeed, while investors need clear oversight of operational performance or risk leaving significant value on the table.

“The experience I gained building a Living business inside a major consumer brand has enabled me to connect investment ambition with operational performance and a deeper understanding of customers. 

“Through Lived. I bring those disciplines together: spotting the opportunity, shaping the plan, bringing the right people round the table and staying with it through delivery. That creates stronger businesses and better options to hold, grow or exit.”