Webinar: RLAS Town Hall: What’s in store for Retail & Leisure in 2025 by OrbitalX Webinars

| London (GMT +1:00)

About This Webinar

Join the Retail and Leisure Agents Society for an info-filled Town Hall with Henry Foreman, Louise Oliver, Leon Ballard, and Max Gibbs and be first to know what’s next for the retail and leisure sector for 2025/26.

Whether you’re already part of the RLAS network or thinking about (re)joining, this is your front-row seat to the latest tools, events, and plans shaping the industry.

Whether you're in the thick of it or haven’t checked in for a while, this is your moment to reconnect, refocus, and stay ahead.

Agenda

Meet the new RLAS committee and hear their vision for the year ahead
Be first to hear about upcoming events you won’t want to miss
Get more from the Agents Society marketplace – learn how to unlock its full potential
Explore Kato Pro – the enhanced toolkit powering smarter collaboration and faster deal flow
Ask your questions live in an interactive Q&A with the panel

Henry Foreman

Chair @ RLAS

RLAS Chair and Partner at FMX Urban Property Advisers, Henry has worked in Retail Agency and Development for 6 years building an integral understanding of urban environments and a strong track record in mixed use town centre developments as well as more traditional shopping centre and retail leasing on behalf of funds, property companies, developers and local authorities. Henry is a passionate advocate for independent business, often thinking of different routes to access local business’ and challenging traditional leasing models. Henry’s most recent mixed use development project Peach Place and Elms Field in Wokingham won the prestigious RTPI award for ‘Excellence in Planning for a Successful Economy’.

Previously, Henry was a Senior Associate Director in the Retail Agency & Development team at BNP Paribas / Strutt and Parker where he worked for 6 years. Before that, Henry worked in Asset Management managing a mixed portfolio so has a strong understanding of all aspects of property and insight into different flexi-leasing models.

Louise Oliver

Events & Membership @ RLAS

Louise Oliver joined the Shop Agents Society (now the Retail & Leisure Agents Society) back in 2002 and has been part of the team helping with memberships, events and administration. Louise has a long standing relationship with the RLAS members and continues to support them and their aspirations. Louise is very encouraged by the partnership with Kato and the new marketing platform which will almost certainly grow the organisation back to where it used to be!

Leon Ballard

CCO @ Kato

Leon Ballard is the COO of Kato, the SaaS platform revolutionising how commercial property professionals search, market, and close deals. Leon has been pivotal in driving Kato's mission to become the global platform for transacting commercial property and the daily dashboard for agents, landlords, and occupiers. His leadership has helped Kato scale rapidly, enhancing productivity across the industry.

Leon brings over two decades of global real estate experience. Before Kato, he spent nearly a decade at JLL in Warsaw, where he worked on over €2.6 billion in real estate transactions across Poland, working with major developers and investors such as Ghelamco, Union Investment, and GLL.

His career started in London at Cushman & Wakefield, where he specialised in West End office leasing and tenant representation, advising major corporates, financial institutions, and retailers. Leon also gained valuable experience in Canada at Royal LePage, focusing on real estate advisory, and in New Zealand at DTZ (now Cushman & Wakefield), working in valuation—broadening his expertise across international property markets.

Beyond real estate, Leon is an angel investor in early-stage PropTech, FinTech, and ConsumerTech startups, fuelling innovation in the sector. He also took a year-long sabbatical to travel across South America and write a novel.

Leon graduated with an undergraduate degree from Reading University (BSc) and a postgraduate degree from Kingston University (MSc).

Max Gibbs

Agency Partnerships Lead @ Kato

Max leads agency partnerships at Kato, bringing over 10 years of experience in the PropTech sector. He’s worked closely with agencies, landlords, and property managers to improve the way they run their businesses - helping them make day-to-day operations smoother, upgrade outdated systems, and ensuring teams get more value from their portfolios and client relationships. Max has a strong understanding of the challenges faced across the property world and is passionate about making technology work in simple, practical ways that actually make a difference.