Lived to advise investors, developers and operators
John Lewis Partnership’s former property chief Katherine Russell has launched Lived, a new consultancy advising investors, developers and operators on creating and scaling platforms, with a major institutional investment manager as its first anchor client.
Russell will help develop the company’s residential strategy and strengthen the performance of its existing portfolio and is also advising other businesses, including a private family office and asset managers, alongside her board role at Dolphin Living.
At John Lewis Partnership, she led the build-to-rent strategy, creating an operating platform that grew to nearly 1,000 homes under management across Leeds, Leicester, Birmingham and Stratford on behalf of Aberdeen clients.
She also led proposals for three developments, securing planning permission in Bromley and West Ealing and a resolution to grant permission in Reading. The partnership announced its withdrawal from build-to-rent in February 2026, citing higher borrowing and construction costs and changed economic conditions. Previous to that, she worked in asset management and planning and development across the John Lewis and Waitrose businesses.
‘An understanding of customers’
“There is still huge opportunity in Living, but it’s a tough market to make things happen in,” said Russell.
“Capital is selective and viability is stretched. Operating businesses need investment and scale to succeed, while investors need clear oversight of operational performance or risk leaving significant value on the table.
“The experience I gained building a Living business inside a major consumer brand has enabled me to connect investment ambition with operational performance and a deeper understanding of customers. Through Lived, I bring those disciplines together: spotting the opportunity, shaping the plan, bringing the right people round the table and staying with it through delivery. That creates stronger businesses and better options to hold, grow or exit.
“These are also places where people come back after a difficult day, raise families and begin to feel they belong. Understanding that everyday experience is central to long-term performance.”
