John Hitchcox, Founder of Yoo Group

John Hitchcox, founder and chairman of YOO Group, shares his journey in real estate with Guy Westlake.

John is one of the residential industry's most influential and respected entrepreneurs. He founded YOO in 1999, and along with business partner Philippe Starck, the celebrated designer, built the company into one of the world’s leading placemaking and design brands. Today, YOO operates across 36 countries globally. By combining design, architecture, development, investment, marketing and branding, John Hitchcox and YOO are the driving force behind some of the world's most innovative and creative residential and hotel developments.

 

In this episode John shares:

• How he stumbled into property despite his mother wanting him to pursue a career as a musician or conductor.
• The serendipity of meeting Philippe Starck in Paris and together developing YOO both as a concept and proposition.
• Regenerating swathes of London over the years, culminating in YOO's £1.3bn regeneration of Olympia into a world-leading cultural destination.
• How he expects the way we work will change post-pandemic, and the likely impact upon businesses.
• How YOO is adapting to capitalise on opportunities coming out of the pandemic.
• Some of the technologies and innovations he believes are driving the industry forward.
• The important role that music plays in his life outside of work.