Darren Hawkins is CEO and Founder of HEC Investment Management. He brings over 37 years’ experience across the property and infrastructure industries, spanning business case development through to delivery, and has advised on projects valued at up to USD10 billion across the UK, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and New Zealand. His clients have included Morrisons, the University of Melbourne, Toyota, Investec, ANZ, Global Switch, HSBC, BAA and Telstra.

Before founding HEC, Darren worked with major investors, sovereign-wealth funds and financial institutions including GIC, ANZ and Investec raising and structuring capital for, and leading the delivery of, major real estate and infrastructure developments from inception to completion. His experience spans retail, commercial, transport, healthcare, telecommunications, data centres and government sectors, with delivery held to industry best practice, including the development of more than 35 data centres, from modest upgrades to large-scale new build campuses.

He has applied a wide range of delivery models, including Private Finance Initiatives (PFI), Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), Design & Construct (D+C), Design & Build (D+B), Fixed Price, Earned Value, and Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) contracts.

Beyond delivery, Darren has built strategic operating frameworks that drive organisational growth, and has established and led regional offices across Asia and Europe. He holds a Master’s in International Finance from the University of Westminster and bachelor’s degrees in Architecture and in Planning & Design from the University of Melbourne.