Management Team

The team of experts at Gradstone boasts over 80 years of combined experience in property strategy, transactions, planning, redevelopment and design:

MARK REYNOLDS
Founder/Managing Director

Mark Reynolds has more than 28 years of experience in investment banking, trading venture capital, private equity, and REIT funds. Holding the position of executive director at UBS, Mark was responsible for the management of over £130m of trading capital and managed a team of 12. Mark is a Securities, Financial and Derivatives Representative (SFDR) as recognised by the FSA.

Gradstone was incorporated by Mark in 2013 with the co-operation of a founding network, including lawyers, accountants, architects, and a host of RICS real estate connections. The company was originally formed to service one ultra-high net worth, Saudi based client, and they still provide services for this client 10 years on. Gradstone has used three different Sharia compliant lenders to date for funding for two of four clients.

KAREN ESSON
Chief Investment Officer

For more than 20 years Karen has worked in deal origination in the European property market assisting HNW private clients, family offices and overseas investors implement their European direct investment strategy on both commercial and personal residential real estate projects. A seasoned acquisition specialist, she uses the extensive network amassed over this time to source and investigate off-market, privately available deals and co-investment opportunities. Karen specialises in driving the clients direct investment strategy into action, taking an active leadership role on their behalf in deal origination, running the appraisal processes and beauty parades, deal assembly, joint-venture identification and negotiation. She has held ED, MD and Group Strategic Development Director positions with insurance brokers Willis Faber & Dumas (Aon) and Sedgwick Group (Marsh).

LEON KALKWARF
Chief Planning Officer

Leon Kalkwarf brings with him over 25 years of architectural and development experience. He graduated from the University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa, working for two years before registering as an architect with the South African Institute of Architects in 1996. After moving to the UK in 1997 to further his architectural career he worked for a respected West End practice completing many successful projects internationally. These included many complex planning applications in central London, the Bentley Pavilion at the Volkswagen Plant in Wolfsburg in Germany and many others. During this time he gained a sound understanding of the UK planning protocols, architectural industry and the intricacies of construction in the UK. Leon established Kalkwarf Architects in 2002 and Tenorite Interiors in 2015, furthering his passion for architecture and the way in which people engage with space.  As Director he manages projects in the UK and Europe ranging from high end luxury residential to multi-million pound mixed use schemes.