In conversation with: Nilesh Patel, Principal of Prideview Group

We chat to Nilesh Patel, Principal of Prideview Group, about the evolution of the organisation, their support for LandAid, and July’s Prideview Cricket Cup.

06/06/2024

Now in its 12^th year, the Prideview Cricket Cup has become a firm favourite in the property industry events calendar.

As we look ahead to 2024’s instalment coming up on Thursday 11 July, we speak to Nilesh Raj Patel, Principal at the Prideview Group, to find out a bit more about Prideview, their support for LandAid to date, what we can expect from this year’s cricket cup and most importantly how you can get involved.

Nilesh, thanks for taking time out to chat to us.

We’d love to hear more about your journey in the property industry to date and of course your role at Prideview.

As Principal of Prideview Group, I have responsibility for the day-to-day running of the business, overseeing all services, from investor relations to communications, and acquisitions and disposals.

I qualified as a Chartered Accountant at KPMG before joining the family business in 2010. I took on the helms from my father and uncle, who initially set up the company in the 1980s. My background put me in perfect stead to build and diversify the company’s extensive database and service offering.

Having grown up alongside Prideview, it obviously means a lot to you, both personally and professionally.

How has the company evolved over the years and managed to maintain its relevance within the context of the wider built environment industry?

Prideview was founded by my father and uncle (Raj and Shailesh Patel) in 1985, and the Stanmore-based agency is now run on a day-to-day basis by the next generation of the family (myself included).

With close to £1 billion worth of transactions made over the last 30 years, the business looks very different today than when it initially started.

Prideview Group has built a solid reputation in the commercial property market. We’re known not only for our professional insights and expertise, but our long-standing engagement within the industry and this has enabled us to expand our network of contacts throughout the UK and beyond.

Today, the company includes several more divisions including lettings, management, insurance, finance and more recently, planning and architecture – and is now covering every stage of the property development lifecycle.

Ultimately, Prideview is at the heart of the community, and in particular the Asian community, who have been prolific buyers of real estate as the primary means of ensuring long-term financial security.

In your time at Prideview, has there been a highlight moment (if you had to choose!)?

The standout for me was certainly the opening of our brand-new HQ, Prideview Place, in Stanmore in 2022. The deal encapsulates not only our journey as a business but also precisely why our expertise is trusted by so many hard-working people.

For over 30 years, starting from my uncle’s living room to serviced offices in Harrow, to rented retail shops in Harrow Weald and then Stanmore, it was our dream to eventually have our own home, Freehold – much in the way we advise our clients to strive for Freehold property ownership.

But, as specialists in advising investors how to maximise value from their assets, there was no way we were just going to buy a ready-made office!

In 2017 we acquired the Crazy Horse pub, a small, old pub with a large site and fantastic location on a prominent corner of Stanmore Broadway. With the tenant struggling but on a short lease, the redevelopment potential for a brand-new mixed-use building was apparent, and it would take a number of years to secure planning for a 2 storey office with 13 flats above and to the rear.

Next came the build (during Covid!), and the finance required to make it happen.

And then, the high spec fit out designed to ensure clients entering our office know just how much pride we take in owning Freehold property.

The best advisors’ practice what they preach, and Prideview Place remains a testament to that.

The best advisors’ practice what they preach, and Prideview Place remains a testament to that.

It would be fair to say that there’s another key element to Prideview – and that’s the cricket cup. As the company has grown, so too has the event – not just in terms of popularity and diversifying its community and attendees, but in terms of the support the event enables Prideview to bring to the charities it fundraises for (including LandAid).

Where did the idea for the event originate and what is the ethos behind it?

The #PrideviewCricket Cup is the UK property industry’s biggest cricket day!

Established in 2012, the event has raised over £250,000 since its inauguration.

From a relatively young age I have organised charity sports events and when I joined Prideview in 2010 it quickly became apparent that there was a ‘gap in the market’ when it came to cricket and the property industry. Golf days are very common, and football events can be a bit rough!

We started with an eight team event at Merchant Taylors’ School in Northwood and in many ways our event has grown alongside the school, which now regularly hosts county matches and international teams for training, but despite having a jam-packed calendar they always honour our day.

In recent years, we began to realise that firstly, many in the property industry presumed you had to play cricket to attend and secondly, that it was mainly for the cricket mad Asian community.

This spearheaded our VIP Marquee – a ‘safe space’ where drinks are flowing, a delicious lunch is served and networking can happen – whilst the cricketers have their fun in the background.

We also moved the event to a weekday to facilitate attendance from corporates and investors with family commitments on the weekends.

All of the event, as well as the time spent organising, is courtesy of Prideview Group.

Whilst we aim to grow the event each year, we will never do this at the expense of the charities that depend on us.

You can book your table and buy tickets here

Our event (the Prideview Cricket Cup) is also fun as it is inclusive, with Knight Frank, last year being joined by the Middlesex (Disability) Team, who they also sponsor, winning the Prideview Champions Trophy. The team showed that physical and neurodiverse differences are no barrier to partaking in sports.

Our 2023 cricket day was also joined by no less than six former international cricketers, Owais Shah, Yasir Arafat, Alex Tudor, Ali Brown, Saj Mahmood and Usman Afzal, each supporting one of the 6-a-side teams, imparting with their professional wisdom to help the teams play their best.

Outside of the fantastic opportunity to play some cricket and network with industry peers, it’s clear that fundraising is at the crux the event – can you tell us a bit more about the charities that Prideview choose to support?

Our popular annual event helps to raise money for a number of charities, including One Kind Act, which seeks to create a sustainable improvement in the lives of people suffering from poverty of health and education around the world.

Last year’s funds were also split between LandAid, the property industry charity, working to end youth homelessness, and YUVA Unstoppable, supporting disadvantaged children in India with basic needs and education.

Funds raised from the upcoming July event will be split again in this way.

The Prideview Cricket Cup is also fun as it is inclusive, with Knight Frank, last year being joined by the Middlesex (Disability) Team, who they also sponsor, winning the Prideview Champions Trophy. The team showed that physical and neurodiverse differences are no barrier to partaking in sports.

LandAid was delighted to be a chosen charity partner of the Prideview Cricket Cup and is delighted to continue that partnership into 2024.

Was there a particular motivation for Prideview supporting LandAid in its mission to end youth homelessness and is there anything you are particularly proud of in your work with LandAid to date?

The motivation was to support a charity closer to home and kickstart a campaign to help raise awareness and support for LandAid to a new audience – the South Asian community.

We know that homelessness is an issue within South Asian communities, often due to taboo topics, such as sexual orientation, honour-based violence and other cultural reasons. Our aim was to highlight these issues, whilst raising money at an already well-attended and established event within South Asian property circles.

After the success of the 11^th Prideview Cricket Cup (2023) – where Prideview supported LandAid for the first time – we became a Foundation Partner to LandAid, a status awarded to companies who donate £10,000 annually to the cause. Through this partnership, we aim to get more involved with LandAid events and initiatives, connecting with other like-minded companies and ultimately, giving something back.

I was incredibly honoured to be Highly Commended at the 2023 LandAid Awards, for Fundraiser of the Year, a recognition of Prideview’s significant donation in support of LandAid’s mission, and our efforts in raising awareness to new, diverse audiences (that can ultimately help rally further support for LandAid and the young people it supports).

The summer beckons which means the Prideview Cricket Cup 2024 will be fast upon us (much to the delight of the industry!). Taking place at the Northwood ground on Thursday 11 July, how exactly can the industry support?

Support for the event can come in many different shapes and forms. From partaking in the cricket and entering a team of 10, purchasing a VIP table, advertising in our event brochure, or purchasing a spectator wristband (if you prefer the networking angle). A full breakdown of information is available here.

And is there any sneak-peek information you can give to attendees – (whether returning fan favourites or those gearing up for their first cricket cup) – on what they can expect from the day?

We will be lining up a strong selection of ex-international cricket players (to be announced soon!) as well as BBC journalist Mihir Bose who will do a Q&A on the day and be signing copies of his recent book.

Before we let you get back to your busy week, we have a couple more questions…

It goes without saying that we are in the midst of challenging times. What do you think is currently the biggest challenge facing the industry? And how are you and your team facing this?

The biggest challenge over the last few years has undoubtedly been the unstable economic and political climates in the UK and globally.

The cost-of-living crisis has continued to bite investors and overall confidence too, so our team has had to be adaptable and resilient, focusing on the sectors that will yield the highest returns.

With several local elections and now a General Election taking place this year, investor sentiment will continue to be impacted.

Overall, our media is just too negative about the UK and its prospects, and actually what we are now seeing is that this is creating an excellent buying opportunity.

And what would be one change or innovation that you would like to see the industry embrace?

As lovers of the UK high street, we always want to see more being done to support our tenants who remain at the heart of our communities with business rates in particular needing to come down for them.

As haters of how slow property transactions can drag these days, due to backlogs with councils, the land registry, valuations and general red tape, we would like to see more technology implemented to streamline the transaction process and improve communication between all parties involved in getting a deal done.

Nilesh, thank you so much for your time and insight.

It’s an incredibly exciting time for Prideview and LandAid is pleased to play a small part in that journey with you and the team, and to have your support in driving our mission forwards. Together we can truly make a difference.

Bring on the #PrideviewCricket Cup 2024!

Prideview Cricket Cup 2024

An action packed afternoon of cricket and networking not to be missed - in aid of One Kind Act, LandAid in the UK, and Yuva Unstoppable in India.

Further information | Tickets here