Former Land Securities and Portman Estate director John Tauwhare has joined John McCready at the government’s Property Unit.

Tauwhare is the second appointment at the Property Unit this month, after the former Land Securities head of London asset management Robert Heskett. The unit is tasked with finding ways to better manage the government’s property estate – estimated to be worth up to £385bn – to help tackle the £167bn public sector deficit.

The Property Unit is part of the Shareholder Executive, which deals with the government’s shares in private companies. The Shareholder Executive is part of the government Department to Business, Innovation and Skills.

Tauwhare is a former director at Land Securities and the Portman Estate. He and McCready worked together at Blue Circle, which developed the 1.6m sq ft Bluewater shopping centre in Kent which opened in 1999. They also worked together at Ernst & Young, where Tauwhare was director in McCready’s housing and regeneration team.

The Property Unit cannot comment on either Tauwhare or Heskett’s appointment until after 6 May because of the hiatus on announcements by public sector bodies before the election.

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