Mike Slade, OBE, former chief executive and chairman of Helical, philanthropist, and one of UK commercial property’s leading figures, has died.
Slade was one of the key figures in listed real estate developer Helical’s history and a highly influential and well-known leader within the wider property industry. He led Helical for 35 years, including over three decades as chief executive, followed by three years as chairman, before retiring from the board in 2019 aged 72.
His association with Helical began in 1984, when he reversed his private property business into Helical Bar, then a quoted company whose principal activity was the manufacture of steel reinforcement for the construction industry. He spearheaded the transformation of Helical into a major force in real estate development. Helical said he had also “shaped the firm’s culture and entrepreneurial approach to property that continues today” in a statement as it announced its “profound sadness” at Slade’s death.
Slade was well-known as a philanthropist, making a major contribution to the growth of LandAid as the principal charitable cause of the UK property industry, raising £20 million during his tenure as president. He also chaired the appeal to build the Oak Cancer Centre at The Royal Marsden in Sutton, which opened in 2023 following a £70 million fundraising campaign.
He was also famous as a sports lover and a sailing enthusiast, particularly with his record-breaking racing yacht The Leopard.
Helical said in a statement: “The board, colleagues and former colleagues of Helical extend their deepest sympathies to Mike’s family and friends. Mike’s energy, ambition and irreverent sense of fun made him an extraordinary leader and colleague. His influence on the company is enduring and Helical will remain immensely proud of the business he built and the values and culture he instilled in it.”
Robert Fowlds, chairman of Helical, said: “Mike was a titan of the property industry, whose energy and entrepreneurial spirit helped create the business that Helical is today. This was matched by his enthusiasm and generosity, which made an indelible mark on the people he worked with and the numerous charitable causes he championed. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very sad time.”
Matthew Bonning-Snook, chief executive of Helical: “Mike was a truly inspiring leader and a force of nature. I feel incredibly fortunate to have spent almost a quarter of a century working alongside him in what felt like an endless adventure. His infectious personality, humour and boundless energy created a culture at Helical that everyone wanted to be a part of. He was quite simply one of the most respected and loved people in the industry and he will be greatly missed by everyone that had the privilege of knowing him.”
Mike Slade was born in Port Isaac, Cornwall, in 1946 where he developed a lifelong passion for sailing. His family moved to London when he was young and he attended Sherborne School before getting a first job in property in the Bahamas in his late teens, selling homes to tourists. He then studied at the College of Estate Management, before beginning as a trainee surveyor in the 1960s, working in continental Europe on office developments in France, Germany and the Netherlands.
In 1972, aged 26, he formed a joint venture with Equity & Law Life and began developing commercial buildings across Europe.
In 1984 he reversed his private property business into Helical Bar, a quoted company whose principal activity was steel for the construction industry. In 1986 the steel business was sold to its management and Helical moved fully into property.
During his 35 years at the helm of Helical, the business grew from a company with a market capitalisation of approximately £500,000 into a substantial listed property group with a market value of many hundreds of millions when he retired.
His philosophy was entrepreneurial rather than institutional. He has been quoted on property cycles as saying: “The top of the market is an innate feeling you get when it’s a bit hairy. It’s in your tummy at four in the morning when you’re trying to sleep. It’s something that you don’t analyse, it just comes to you.”
He moved Helical from Thames Valley and regional developments in the late 1990s to a focus on the City of London and the technology district around Old Street.
As a sailor Slade received his first boat, a GP14 dinghy, at nine and began racing competitively on the Camel Estuary in Cornwall. A serious car accident at around 22 put a temporary end to sailing. After spinal surgery and a long recovery, he eventually returned to the water in his thirties.
He progressed from Etchells sailboats to larger racing and cruising yachts, eventually owning a succession of boats.
In 1991 Mike entered his Ocean 80, Ocean Leopard, into the Round the Island Race. With renowned sailor Chris Law helping to steer, the yacht broke the course record.
After campaigning Ocean Leopard in the UK, Mediterranean and Caribbean, he bought or commissioned a succession of increasingly competitive yachts: Longobarda, Leopard of London and ultimately Leopard 3 – the 100-foot super-maxi launched in 2007.
Designed by Farr Yacht Design and built in Australia, Leopard 3 became one of the world’s most successful racing super-maxis, achieving 15 world speed and race records and line-honours victories, including the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Round the Island Race. Leopard continues to win major races under new ownership.
Slade and Helical’s annual day on The Leopard with media and analysts was also an important day in the calendar for those writing and commentating on real estate for many years.
Slade was a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron; supported Tall Ships and Youth and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award; served as a committee member of the London branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution; and became Vice Admiral of the Mary Rose Trust.
He was a passionate advocate for LandAid, the property industry’s charity dedicated to tackling youth homelessness. Founded in 1986, Slade became president from 1996 and helped reinvigorate the organisation and turn it into the principal charitable cause of the UK property industry.
During his involvement, LandAid raised approximately £20 million. Slade donated nearly £2 million over the years and committed a further £1 million towards LandAid House in Islington, a new-build project providing accommodation and support for vulnerable young people.
In addition to LandAid and the RNLI, his activities raised significant sums over the years for the British Heart Foundation, Purley Park Trust (where his brother John has been a resident since 1965), Sherborne School and Wellington College.
In 2017 Slade became chairman of the appeal to build the Oak Cancer Centre at The Royal Marsden in Sutton. The original target was £50 million but was increased to £70 million.
The Oak Cancer Centre opened in 2023 and has created a major new centre for cancer treatment, research and rapid diagnosis, bringing together clinicians, patients and researchers. Slade was awarded the OBE in 2019 for services to charity, particularly his work with LandAid.
Editor’s comment: Mike Slade’s support in the early days of the launch of CoStar News in the UK, alongside his colleague Gerald Kaye, was appreciated. On a memorable occasion he explained his entrepreneurial approach: “Generally there is a strategy that you have that you follow. But some times, if you see something else that is interesting, you have to shoot it.”
