SCEPTRE winner - Iain Watters

Published: 27 August, 2009

Iain Watters

Lifetime Achievement Award

Shopping Centre’s choice for the prestigious lifetime award this year was one of the industry’s true renaissance men, Iain Watters. Iain retired from MEPC in 2003, having joined the property company in 1971.

He had been promoted to the group board in 1988, and as executive chairman of MEPC UK he was responsible for all the quoted company’s activities in the UK. This including the development and operation of a nationwide portfolio of shopping centres including The Friary in Guildford, Royal Victoria Place in Tunbridge Wells, the Eagle Centre in Derby and the CastleCourt mixed-use project in Belfast. Other assets included Two Rivers in Staines and Yate town centre near Bristol.

He has been a long-standing member of the European advisory board of the International Council of Shopping Centers, chairing the European conference in 1997. Equally, he was a high-profile president of the British Council of Shopping Centres in 1999-2000.

Since his retirement from MEPC after Hermes took the company private, his vast industry experience and bulging contacts book have meant he has been much in demand as a non-executive director. He serves as chairman of the boards of both outlet specialist Realm and of shopping centre architects Leslie Jones. Outside work he enjoys life in the countryside and remains a keen horseman and race-goer.

In his absence the award was accepted on his behalf by Angus Fyfe, Realm’s asset management director.

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