Rupert Nabarro is an Economist interested in real estate, investment analysis, urban research, and economic development. He was born in 1945 and studied at Oxford (MA, PPE) and University College London (M.Phil, Town Planning). After management training at the Economist Intelligence Unit and Schroder Wagg, he joined Roger Tym & Partners in 1974 where he carried out economic and development studies in many large British cities.
In 1985 he founded the Investment Property Databank (IPD). IPD started with a staff of 3, which has now grown to nearly 250. The original aim of providing an authoritative commercial property index for the UK has widened to include investment benchmarking and a research database, occupier research, and a training and conference business.
IPD has been important in bringing precise measurement and transparency to property investment markets and its indices are the basis of the emerging property derivative market. The company is owned by its management, leading UK financial institutions and International Property Consultants. The company was awarded the Queens Award for Export Achievement in 2005.
Since 1993 IPD has established parallel services in 22 countries outside the UK: this includes most of Europe, Australasia, Japan and Korea, South Africa and Canada. IPD works with NCREIF in the US.
Rupert is an Honorary Fellow of the RICS, a Life Fellow of the Society of Property Researchers and was awarded an OBE in the New Years Honours List 2007. He is married with four adult children; and is a gardener and fisherman.