Oxford North

The Client and Brief

Stanhope and Savills engaged MRG to lead the search for an Estate Director at Oxford North, a significant new innovation district in Oxford. The project will deliver over one million sq ft of labs and workspaces for science and tech companies, alongside 480 homes, a hotel, a nursery, amenities, and three public parks. It’s being developed by Oxford North Ventures GP LLP, a joint venture between Thomas White Oxford (St John’s College), Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and Stanhope. The first phase is set to be completed in Q2 2025.

Overcoming Challenges

This was an exceptionally intricate role which highlighted the importance of being able to adapt and change the spec to the needs of the client and site during the campaign, taking feedback on board in order to produce the required result.

Our Process

MRG collaborated with Savills and Oxford North’s marketing consultants, Spacecraft Consulting, to create a dual-branded candidate brochure, visual marketing tile, and branded advert. The brochure was well received on social media, reaching over 1,500 views. Launching the campaign on MRG’s LinkedIn channels generated more than 7,800 profile views.

We began with a detailed longlist of over 130 candidates, using a defined set of competencies to score interviewees. The campaign attracted strong applicants, reflecting the role’s prestige. A comprehensive market analysis led to over 150 confidential approaches. From there, 20 candidates were shortlisted, supported by anonymised competency reports to ensure a D&I-compliant, skills-based selection process.

After the first interview round, Stanhope and the stakeholders decided the role required a more senior leader. MRG worked with Stanhope and Savills to develop a new JD for a Managing Director, along with updated competencies. Candidates were re-evaluated, and new senior-level talent was introduced to the process.

Following three rounds of interviews involving key stakeholders, negotiations concluded, and a new Managing Director for Oxford North was successfully appointed.

The Campaign in Numbers

1500 +
MARKETING BROCHURE VIEWS
7800 +
LINKEDIN IMPRESSIONS
130 +
LONG-LISTED CANDIDATES
20
SHORT-LISTED CANDIDATES

Oxford North – Estate Director