Today leading Indian entrepreneur Sameer Gehlaut has doubled down on his commitment to London with new plans to invest heavily in property in the capital over the next 12 months, with a focus on world-class commercial real estate projects.

The announcement follows the news last year that Gehlaut sold a significant stake in Indiabulls Housing Finance, totalling £150 million. At the time, he announced that one of his focuses in the UK would be technology investment. Today, the investor has announced that he will also leverage that war chest to hunt for new super-prime opportunities in the London real estate market.

Sameer Gehlaut is one of India’s best-known and most successful entrepreneurs. Founder of Indiabulls Group, he launched the business at just 26 before growing it into one of India’s largest and most profitable conglomerates, employing over 20,000 people today. Its continued position as a heavyweight in Indian housing finance was confirmed by several high-profile investors, including Blackstone and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, inking a deal to acquire a stake.

Over recent years, Gehlaut has invested heavily in the UK economy through his family office Clivedale, which is now one of London’s largest super-prime developers. Its current developments include some of the city’s most prestigious addresses: The Mandarin Oriental Mayfair; The Mansion, Marylebone; Mayfair Park Residences; and 73-77 Brook Street.

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Clivedale is also behind the redevelopment of 20 Carlton House Terrace, which was recently leased to energy giant BP in the biggest deal of its kind over the last decade.

As part of this renewed commitment, Gehlaut is on the hunt for new commercial redevelopment opportunities in Mayfair and the surrounding area. Clivedale’s projects will uphold the company’s standard philosophy of creating stunning spaces with five-star amenities in London’s most sought-after locations. Each will be finished with unrivalled attention to detail and to a truly best-in-class standard.

Sameer Gehlaut, founder of Clivedale, said: “Investment in high-end property is the beating heart of London’s economy. Without high-quality, attractive spaces for the international elite to live and work in, they will not choose to locate themselves in London, denying it the wealth which flows as the city’s lifeblood.”

“Current take-up of office space in London’s West End is far above virtually all other locations. This is primarily driven by demand for design-led, luxury office spaces. Developers can expect fantastic projected returns from piloting developments at the forefront of this growing trend.”

Gehlaut’s announcement comes at a time of serious economic uncertainty. According to the IMF’s most recent World Economic Outlook report, the global economy will be defined by persistent high inflation, stagnating growth, and a cooling investment atmosphere for the foreseeable future. On top of this, recent figures show London’s vacant office space has reached its highest level in 15 years.

This is not the first time Gehlaut has invested heavily in the UK. He was one of the earliest investors in OakNorth Bank, which has lent out in excess of £5 billion and created more than 22,500 new jobs across the UK. In 2020, it was named Europe’s fastest-growing business, according to research by The Financial Times. Over the last decade, he has invested in the region of £750 million in the UK economy.

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