info@cityanddocklands.com
Chief Executive Officer

Gary Sacks

BComm (WITS)

Gary completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, then emigrated to London to begin his career buying and developing property.

Having procured blocks from other developers, Gary began to develop under the name City & Docklands. This business rapidly expanded from the acquisition of the first piece of development land in London E16, to the successful completion of 19 developments and the delivery of more than 3,596 homes across London. 

In 2000 Gary established LiFE Residential, which is one of London’s leading residential lettings and management agencies which was recently sold to estate agency Dexters.

City & Docklands are currently focusing on the regeneration of West London with the delivery of 1,150 new homes across three sites in North Acton and Scrubs Lane, located within the OPDC, the UK’s largest regeneration area. One West Point in North Acton has delivered 701 new homes across four buildings and is the tallest residential development in West London. 

Mitre Yard and North Kensington Gate lie at the gateway to the OPDC on Scrubs Lane, and together, these developments will deliver a further 455 new homes. City & Docklands is a fully integrated Build to Rent operator, selling part and retaining part of each development and operating under in-house management arm AWOL. 

Gary is very active with various charitable institutions and has dedicated much of his time to his two chosen charities, Norwood and Grief Encounter. 

Chief Operating Officer

Tony Helliwell

BTec HND EITB

Tony joined City & Docklands at its inception and has been instrumental in implementing and maintaining the day-to-day operations of the company. Reporting directly to the CEO, he has overall responsibility to direct and oversee the operational activities of the organisation with his role including planning and overseeing policies, rules and goals. Tony also oversees the operational management of One West Point. 

Tony’s background is in microelectronic and mechanical engineering, and he has key strengths in data analysis and reporting. He maintains all in-house systems, databases and infrastructure that provides access to critical information pertaining to each project being run by the company.

His responsibilities cover all operational functions including product/project delivery, finance, human resources, IT, legal, health and safety, customer services and facilities management. He implements daily operations that are aligned with the long-term business goals and strategies of City & Docklands, and has the requisite skill set to ensure these are executed in a timely and thorough manner. 

Group MD and Chief Legal Officer

Jeremy Harris

BA (Econ) (Hons) SRA Regulated Solicitor

Jeremy is primarily responsible for managing all aspects of the Group’s legal work and liaising with the external legal teams on group financing, new developments and commercial property, company commercial and litigation matters.  He was also recently promoted to Group Managing Director to assist in directing the property group and oversee its anticipated period of future growth.

Jeremy qualified as a lawyer over 25 years ago and has worked as a Partner in practices in London’s City and West End, as well as two separate stints in-house on secondment at Regus and Thorn EMI.  Jeremy joined the City & Docklands Property Group in early 2015.

Jeremy understands the need for the Group to receive fast, dynamic, commercial advice tailored to its specific needs.  He is very calm and measured in his approach and provides accurate and timely legal advice.  This coupled with great leadership, management acumen, commercial abilities and strong legal skills means he is an excellent member of the Group and he reports directly to Gary Sacks, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Outside of City & Docklands, Jeremy is Chair of Stanmore & Canons Park United Synagogue in North West London, a role he has undertaken over three years.

Group Development Director

Simon Leigh

BSc FRICS

Simon is a Chartered Building Surveyor and Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. 

In 1986 Simon set up and managed a Consultant Building Surveying practice until 2001, after which he became the Technical Director for a contractor/developer specialising in residential development. 

Simon joined City & Docklands Property Group in 2007 and has been responsible for the planning and development of schemes from inception through to completion of projects on site. 

His role includes the appointment and coordination of the professional teams during the planning stage, negotiations with Planning Authorities, appointment and management of consultants during project detailed design, negotiation and selection of principal and other contractors, monitoring of construction phase in particular programme and cost issues, liaison with relevant parties throughout the development including construction, planning, finance, legal and related professional matters.

Chief Financial Officer

Ishai Novick

BA (Econ) Hons ACMA

Graduating from Manchester University with a degree in Economics, Ishai embarked on a career as a commercially focused finance leader. Completing his Chartered Accountancy qualifications (ACMA) in 1996, Ishai went on to advance his experience as a Management Consultant initially for a Retail and Hospitality business in South Africa before joining PwC’s Global Strategy practise.

Having complemented the early financial management expertise with the wider exposure to Strategic Development and Change Management, Ishai subsequently embarked on Board Level financial management roles in entrepreneurial as well as corporate businesses.

Key Career Highlights include:

  • Telecoms – Readying a fast-growth family business for sale, executing a lucrative exit to a French PLC
  • Passenger Transport – C Suite leadership of a £450m division of a Global Transport Operator. 
  • Managing a portfolio of transport assets across geographic sectors, including the purchase and integration of a £100m revenue mass transport operator.
  • Structured award winning Sustainable Green Financing Package enabling infrastructure investment and accelerated roll out of fleet of Electric Vehicles 
  • Structured Bank of England CCFF Financing Facility of £75m to support business through pandemic 

An experienced Group Finance Director with 20 years of board level portfolio management experience.  Track record of success providing robust management of subsidiaries, Buy and Sell side M&A experience, post-merger integration, Corporate & Business Development and Sustainable Financing.

Sales Director

Ian Cohen

Ian ran a successful investment property Sales & Letting agency in the early stage of the Docklands regeneration from 1982 until 1988. 

Following the property slow down in the late eighties, Ian set up and operated a successful contract furnishing business until joining forces with Gary Sacks at the fledgling stage of the John Strand furniture group in 1994. He was then instrumental in driving the John Strand group into becoming the UK’s leading furniture package provider. He successfully developed the relationship with large property investment companies and advised them on strategy to make their brand a leader in the property rental sector. This led to John Strand becoming the leading suppliers of furniture solutions to buy to rent property companies. 

Ian has overall responsibility for City & Docklands group’s sales and marketing strategy. He has extensive knowledge of the UK & Far East Sales market and has been pivotal in taking City & Docklands forward.  He is responsible for all sales and the implementation of all marketing campaigns for the group. Ian’s hand’s on approach allows him to have a real edge when making key decisions. Ian has been responsible for the successful negotiation of contracts with leading market short term rental providers including Bridge Street, Saco and Ascott Group. 

Ian is heavily involved in different charities and is a keen cyclist undertaking many overseas cycling challenges each year for his chosen charities.

MD - Investments & Developments

Simon Passer

BCom (Hons)

After achieving a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Birmingham and enjoying a period of time as a Management Consultant for Accenture, in 2006 Simon joined Investec Bank plc where he spent 8 years in the Structured Property Finance team. There, Simon was involved as a lender and an investor, providing senior debt, mezzanine debt and equity investments to experienced property entrepreneurs. Predominantly, Simon’s experience was in the residential development sector, however this stretched to commercial investments, asset management and planning gain transactions.

In 2013, Simon formed his own property development business and in the subsequent 8 years was involved in a number of schemes, such as high-end luxury new build houses in prime London locations, multiple unit apartment refurbishment schemes, strategic land promotion and serviced offices. During this period, Simon also acted as a consultant to City & Docklands.

In 2021, Simon was formerly appointed as Managing Director of the Investment and Development arm at City & Docklands. Currently, Simon is responsible for bringing forward more affordable housing development in conjunction with the GLA.

Investments & Developments Manager

Jake Sacks

BA (Hons)

Jake joined City & Docklands in 2023, working in the Investments & Developments team under a broad remit, sourcing, managing, and executing new opportunities, alongside asset management of our existing holdings. 

Jake studied at the University of California, Los Angeles from 2014 – 2018, majoring in History and minoring in Urban Planning. Jake graduated Summa Cum Laude, placing him in the top 1-5% of the graduating class.

After university, Jake worked at Gaw Capital in Los Angeles, working within the Capital Markets team, with a particular focus on fundraising. Thereafter, Jake continued to work for Gaw Capital, this time in Hong Kong, assisting the UK investments team.  

Moving back to London full-time in 2019, Jake worked at Jones Lang LaSalle (“JLL”) in the Living Funding team, which specialises in placing debt and equity for development clients across the capital stack, and provides key advisory services from site acquisition, through to finance or deal close. Working as an analyst in the team, Jake’s day-to-day included cashflow modelling, as well as opportunity analysis and presentation. During his time at JLL, Jake was exposed to a range of deal types and finance structures, which has allowed him to build a broad base of cross-sector experience.

Jake brings an international perspective to the team and came to City & Docklands with a more focused capital markets background. Owing to his unique training, Jake provides critical support for the team, from deal underwrite through to execution.

Head of AWOL

Ben Chapman

BA (BSc)

Ben joined City & Docklands to lead operations for AWOL, the company’s Build-to-Rent (BTR) division, focusing on delivering a premium service to residents. Ben brings over a decade of experience in property management and operations, having previously worked at one of London’s leading letting & estate agencies, where he played a pivotal role in the company’s growth and success.

Ben began his career in property management in 2014, quickly advancing to oversee multiple teams across the company. His leadership contributed significantly to the businesses growth, as the managed portfolio expanded from 2,500 to over 5,000 units. Throughout his time there, Ben managed critical areas such as tenancy management, property maintenance, compliance, and client relations, strengthening both team efficiency and client satisfaction.

In recent years, Ben served as Head of Operations, where he streamlined processes across departments, ensuring regulatory compliance and overseeing contract and facilities management. Ben also led several high-impact projects, including a company-wide CRM system overhaul, and obtained a number of industry certifications as well as GDPR and AML accreditations.

With this industry led experience and a strong foundation in customer service, Ben brings a unique blend of technical and client-focused expertise to his role at City & Docklands. His experience in project management, regulatory compliance, and operations management makes him a key asset to the AWOL team as they continue to enhance service delivery in the BTR sector.

Commercial Asset & Site Manager

Sarah Ordoyno

BA (Hons)

Sarah joined City & Docklands in 2010 to head up the company’s Completions Department.  

After graduating with BA HONS in Business Management with French & Spanish from Brunel, Sarah lived in Switzerland and Spain for more than 15 years, during which time she worked as EA for the President of the International Olympic Committee, managing International Relations and Protocol. In Spain, she developed her project management skills, organising large corporate events for over 200 clients, both in Spain and overseas.  

Sarah is fluent in Spanish, French and English and since joining the C&D team, has acquired extensive experience, and understanding of live construction sites.  

To date, she has overseen the practical and legal completion of more than a thousand residential units for City & Docklands and is quality assessment trained.  She holds an SMSTS card, considered to be one of the most highly recognised industry cards throughout the UK, as proof that the individual meets the required standard and competency to operate on any construction site.  

Front of House Manager

Jody Lawlor

Jody initially pursued studies in Business and Accounts, earning distinctions before transitioning into the aviation industry in 2008. Joining Qantas Airways’ UK base, Jody spent 13 years excelling in the First-Class cabin, where career highlights included being selected to charter flights for The British Royal Family and specialised recuse flights during times of conflict. During this time, Jody had the pleasure of working alongside colleagues at numerous bases in Australia and Asia, operating flights across Asia, Dubai, and Australia on a weekly basis.

Beyond in-flight service, Jody contributed to Qantas’ recruitment efforts, helping conduct recruitment days and assessment sessions. Additionally, as part of the Qantas promotional team, Jody represented the company at various high-profile events globally, showcasing the brand’s excellence and commitment to service.

In 2021, Jody embarked on a complete career change, joining City & Docklands Property Group where he works within the AWOL Management team. Since joining, Jody has successfully built and led a Front of House team, ensuring exceptional service standards and operational efficiency across the company.

Outside of work, Jody has a keen interest in fitness and enjoys working out and spending time in the gym. Additionally, Jody is passionate about property and interior design.

Finance Manager

Neeta Shah

Neeta joined City & Docklands Property Group in 2005. After graduating with a professional accounting qualification ACCA in 1996 from Emile Woolf, Neeta trained in various accountancy practices gaining a wealth of skills and experience before leaving the practice to work in industry. 

Following 6 years in practice, Neeta set up her own accounting practice looking after a multitude of private clients where she further cut her teeth in accountancy and book-keeping. 

Neeta manages the financial services of the City & Docklands Group, including day to day management, annual management reporting and analysis of the accounts across our Corporate business and all our development sites. Neeta also handles various reporting of financial data as required by Government bodies. Neeta ensures financial transactions are accurately represented by checking accuracy of all financial documents with careful analysis and computational skills.

Head of Group Brand & Communications

Felicity Young

BA (Hons)

Felicity is head of Brand & Communications at City & Docklands. Felicity joined the business in 2019 bringing with her 16 years’ experience in corporate communications, strategic content and communications planning, PR and reputation management.

After graduating with a BA HONS degree from Birmingham University, Felicity joined real estate agent King Sturge where she spent 5 years managing in-house PR campaigns across both B-B and B-C markets. Following that, Felicity became EMEA Communications Director & Head of Residential Content Marketing at JLL where she lead the branding and communications for the Residential business across the UK and Europe. During this time, Felicity was also responsible for high-level strategic C-Suite PR guidance and reputation management. 

As well as specialising in strategic communications planning, brand-altering media, content campaigns and reputation management, Felicity also advises on everything from mergers and internal change to crises and thought leadership.

Securing, delivering and managing unparalleled residential investments and developments throughout London’s key growth zones.

2,400,000

Square feet

7,300+

Habitable rooms

3,596

Units delivered

208

In construction

Focusing on regeneration sites, we work closely with key stakeholders to deliver innovative and sustainable new homes with exceptional standards of design, construction, customer service and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Our experience, which spans the successful completion of 19 developments, the delivery of 3,596 units and a further 700+ under management means we are perfectly placed to operate in the Build to Rent market.

Our property portfolio includes key strategic commercial investments that complement our wider business. Commercially we invest in growth areas of London where we have a strong residential presence and an understanding of each submarket. Our strategic investments form part of our business model, allowing us to create lasting relationships with companies that complement our own.

AWOL – A way of living – is our fully integrated Build to Rent management brand that provides both value and a 5* experience for our residents, and returns for our stakeholders.

Learn more

Our team

We have assembled a team that enhances every aspect of our business and is deeply dedicated to our vision at City & Docklands.

Team
  • Chief Executive Officer

    Gary Sacks

    BComm (WITS)

  • Chief Operating Officer

    Tony Helliwell

    BTec HND EITB

  • Group MD and Chief Legal Officer

    Jeremy Harris

    BA (Econ) (Hons) SRA Regulated Solicitor

  • Group Development Director

    Simon Leigh

    BSc FRICS

  • Chief Financial Officer

    Ishai Novick

    BA (Econ) Hons ACMA

  • Sales Director

    Ian Cohen

  • MD – Investments & Developments

    Simon Passer

    BCom (Hons)

  • Investments & Developments Manager

    Jake Sacks

    BA (Hons)

  • Head of AWOL

    Ben Chapman

    BA (BSc)

  • Asset Manager

    Dylan Cawood-Cripps

  • Asset Manager

    Sam Simpson-Flowerday

  • Commercial Asset & Site Manager

    Sarah Ordoyno

    BA (Hons)

  • Front of House Manager

    Jody Lawlor

  • Project Consultant

    Tony Jacobs

  • Plant Room Manager

    Shane Kelly

  • Maintenance Manager

    Mihai Samoilescu

  • Finishing Manager

    Claudia Salinas

  • Building Co-ordinator

    Joey Baker

  • PA to the C.E.O.

    Franchette Binke

  • Finance Manager

    Neeta Shah

  • Trainee accountant

    Loredana Bucur

    BA (Hons)

  • Head of Group Brand & Communications

    Felicity Young

    BA (Hons)

  • Resident Engagement Manager

    Rachel Said