Scottish director paving way for next big breakthrough
Campion Homes has started a new project for 31 new social homes for Abertay Housing Association
Building a community that can help pave the way for the next big medicine technology breakthrough is an achievement in itself.
That it brings together academics, commerce and the public sector in a practical testbed fashion raises the bar.
Scots-born season ticket holder Mark Hanna said Kadans Science Partner is “focused on advancing and delivering precision medicine technologies through the R&D stage ahead of commercialisation”.
The scale of potential achievement has been a driver.
“One of the proudest moments of my career was helping deliver the Health Innovation Hub in Glasgow and seeing the level of collaboration between industry, academia and the public sector around the project,” he said.
Read more in our Q&A:
Business name: Kadans Science Partner
Location: Glasgow, and across Europe with headquarters in the Netherlands
Business Description: Kadans Science Partner is Europe's leading developer and manager of cutting-edge science parks and lab spaces. Kadans is a trusted long-term partner building some of the industry's most technologically advanced facilities, cultivating vibrant communities, essential infrastructure, and invaluable access to research networks across its pan-European portfolio of over 30 science clusters, over 500 clients and more than 70 buildings.
Scottish director paving the way for the next big breakthrough (Image: McAteer Photograph)
In Scotland, Kadans operates buildings at West of Scotland Science Park and the Health Innovation Hub (HiH), Glasgow’s new purpose-built life science facility, focused on advancing and delivering precision medicine technologies through the R&D stage ahead of commercialisation.
To whom do you sell?
We focus on bringing people together to overcome global challenges. Therefore, we invest, develop and operate specialised assets to complement science clusters. Across Europe, we have built a network of clients, partner organisations, and innovative minds, active in Life Sciences & Health, Food, Energy & Digital Economy.
For example, the Health Innovation Hub is home to Chemify, University of Glasgow’s HealthTech Innovation & Translation Lab, Panthera and Genetix Research.
How many employees?
In total, we have 141 employees all across Europe. In the UK we have 30 employees.
Why did you take the plunge?
My career spans diverse geographies and sectors but I became increasingly drawn to the strategic oversight of property, estate, and facilities management. Kadans is such an innovative and exciting partner with big ambitions for development in wider areas, beyond the Golden Triangle, including Scotland.
As a native Scot it was fantastic to have the opportunity to move home last year and to continue to help grow Kadans’ footprint here by developing state of the art facilities but also contribute to a community where people want to live and work.
What were you doing before?
I’m a chartered surveyor by trade with FRICS status and have worked in both consultancy and client-side roles with the likes of Cushman & Wakefield and CBRE before leading a multi-disciplinary team as Head of Estates at Bruntwood SciTech.
What are your ambitions for the firm?
I am co-country lead and run the Asset Management division within the UK and have a clear focus of expanding Kadans' UK portfolio. By creating environments where knowledge intensive organisations can thrive and collaborate we can overcome global challenges which includes tackling the unmet need for better facilities like the Health Innovation Hub in Glasgow.
The aspiration is to improve health outcomes and for Kadans to play a part in the journey of a company from bench to market where they develop a new treatment, secure approvals and see that delivered within local communities.
What single thing would most help?
Strengthening the built environment is a vital piece of the puzzle to achieve the ambitions of Scotland’s life sciences sector to grow into a £25 billion industry by 2035. Innovation needs physical space, such as labs, validation facilities and collaboration environments delivered at the right time and de-risked enough for capital to follow. Without a clear pathway of lab and R&D-ready space, companies can struggle to progress from early innovation to commercial scale.
The capital commitment from Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government announced earlier this year of a £35 million Life Sciences Accommodation Programme is a positive development.
This is designed to improve the availability of affordable premises for scaling science businesses, helping them stay and grow in Scotland rather than relocating at critical growth points.
Delivering this funding effectively and in partnership with industry, institutions and private capital will be key to ensuring we retain companies in Scotland and accelerate the next generation of life science growth stories.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned?
The most valuable lesson I’ve learned is that real estate is ultimately a relationship business. Buildings, transactions and strategies matter, but long-term success comes from trust, with colleagues, occupiers, partners and stakeholders.
Particularly in the life sciences sector, you are helping companies through critical stages of growth and innovation, so understanding people’s ambitions and challenges is just as important as understanding the property itself. In my experience, the best outcomes usually come from long-term partnerships rather than short-term wins.
What was your best moment?
One of the proudest moments of my career was helping deliver the Health Innovation Hub in Glasgow and seeing the level of collaboration between industry, academia and the public sector around the project. As someone Scottish, it was particularly rewarding to help bring forward a development that supports the country’s growing life sciences ecosystem and creates space for innovative companies to scale and grow.
The project also saw a very successful pre-let campaign, including Panthera, which recruits patients and runs clinical trials for pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and Chemify, a pioneer in developing technology to provide pharmaceutical, biotechnology and industrial partners with better molecules. Chemify occupies more than 40,000 square feet across two floors at HiH with additional space on the ground floor, making it one of the most significant life sciences leasing transactions in both the UK and Glasgow last year.
What made it especially satisfying was not simply the scale of the deal, but what it represented; ambitious Scottish science businesses choosing to grow within Scotland and helping strengthen the wider innovation ecosystem.
What was your worst moment?
The most difficult moments are usually linked to people rather than projects. Managing periods of change within teams, particularly when talented colleagues move on or businesses need to evolve, can be challenging because you recognise the personal impact behind professional decisions.
Those experiences taught me that leadership is not only about strategy and results, but also about communication, empathy and providing clarity during uncertain periods.
How do you relax?
Spending quality time with my wife and two young daughters. I’m also an Edinburgh Rugby season ticket holder so most Friday nights are spent at Murrayfield Stadium.
