2024 has been a monumental year for Harvey Soning as he marked not one, but three major milestones. The property chief reached his 50th year in the industry, turned 80 and celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary. All in a 18,250 days’ work.
Over the past five decades, Soning has built a legacy as one of the most respected figures in real estate, as the founder, chairman and chief executive of James Andrew International, a property company specialising in commercial property investment, development, and management across the UK, Europe, and US.
“It’s been 80 per cent enjoyment and 20 per cent a pain in the a***e,” jokes Soning as he reflects on his career. “But I love what I do and am here to tell the tale.”
Soning’s story began with his family’s immigrant roots. His maternal grandparents fled Russia and Poland, arriving in the UK in 1912. His grandfather learned English during the First World War trenches – “mostly swear words,” notes Soning, while his paternal lineage had been in England for a generation longer. Harvey’s father, a successful businessman who came out of Bomber Command in 1945 with just £300, built a property portfolio that laid the foundation for Soning’s own career.
Soning recalls: “At the age of 14¾, I had the most diabolical school report. I was drawing aeroplanes and battleships when I was supposed to be working. My father said ‘enough was enough’ and phoned his friend George Farrow of Peachey Property Corporation. “’Send him to me’,” they said, ‘and we will make a man of him. That’s how I got into the real estate world.”
Soning learnt on the job. “There were no bank holidays and not the three-days-a-week in the office like there is now; it was full on office work. You had to be the first in and last out.”
By 1974, after working with Peachey Property Corporation and then Guardian Properties, Soning struck out on his own. With £5,000, he founded Andrew James, later renamed James Andrew International after receiving a desist letter. He named the company after his two eldest sons – Andrew works with him in the business and is a director. The company quickly gained traction, attracting long-term clients including Sir Martin Sorrell, Sir Lloyd Dorfman CVO CBE, and Sir Gerald Ronson CBE. The latter recently paid tribute to him with a speech at his 50th anniversary celebration at Claridges, which featured a guest list of the top figures in the industry.
James Andrew International played a key advisory role in the iconic Central St Giles development in London
Since inception, James Andrew has expanded internationally, participating in iconic developments such as Heron Tower, 461 Fifth Avenue in New York, and projects on the West Coast, as well as several ventures in Mexico, Japan, and across Europe, including Rios Rosas in Madrid. Projects closer to home include 14 Cornhill, Beaufort House and Central St Giles in London.
For Soning, real estate isn’t just a profession, it’s a “fundamental part of human life.” He explains: “Second to food, property is the most important thing in our lives. It’s a roof over our heads, it’s somewhere to shop, it’s hospitals, logistics… it underpins human life.”
The industry has undergone seismic changes since Soning started out, most notably due to technology and the mobile phone, which Soning notes “revolutionised communication and business operations” and while he welcomes technological advances and AI he says it cannot replace the “art of conversation and value of face-to-face interactions.
“Real estate is a human business. Experience teaches you how to gauge people’s exact requirements—something you can’t learn sitting at home.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Soning, who goes into the office daily, is not in favour of working from home, which he calls an “unmitigated disaster” for both business operations and young professionals’ growth in particular. “The office remains crucial for mentoring and collaboration, key elements for developing talent and learning.”
Soning is passionate about mentorship and education. He is a trustee of JCoSS and sits on the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors’ bursary scheme committee. This programme has sponsored 30 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, supporting them through university and into careers in real estate.
“I didn’t go to university, and I regret not having that extra education,” admits Soning, who wants to open the doors for others. “If a young person wants to get into the industry, I say come and see me, and we’ll talk.”
Soning is also Ambassador to the Royal Air Force Museum, a founding member of the Natural History Museum Foundation, and a trustee of Youth Aliyah Child Rescue, which looks after five villages for youngsters in Israel and celebrated its 90th anniversary this. year. He is a member of Western Marble Arch Synagogue.
James Andrew International was involved in the redevelopment and leasing strategy for Ríos Rosas in Madrid
Optimistic about the UK’s future, he says: “We have the stability of a government for the next five years. You might not like who’s in the government but at least there is stability, compared to the uncertainties of war and political upheaval in other European and global countries. Good-quality assets in major UK cities like Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and London remain highly valuable to international investors.”
With an illustrious career, family legacy that includes wife Angela, four sons and eleven grandchildren, Soning has no plans to slow down. “I am lucky to have a very supportive family and strong supportive team around me.
“Real estate is a great business, filled with great people. As long as I’m healthy, I’ll carry on. This is what I love.”
