Back to Our team
Co-Founder
Karen Dunstan
Co-Founder
General Counsel / COO
Karen co-founded Precede Capital alongside Randeesh in 2021. Before joining Precede, she spent seven years as General Counsel at Urban Exposure Plc. Karen practised law at King & Wood Mallesons and Herbert Smith. With over 21 years of post-qualification experience and a law degree from the London School of Economics, she brings a wealth of expertise to the team.
Insights from Karen Dunstan
Public knowledge? Where public sector buildings fit into the retrofitting revolution
While the UK real estate sector is still in the relatively early stages of its multi-decade journey towards net-zero, progress on decarbonising existing stock, as well as the prospects for success, vary dramatically across different parts of the market. In…
Screening: a pragmatic response to a complex challenge
At Precede, we’re passionate about ensuring developers are supported when they make more sustainable decisions. One of the primary ways we do this is through our Green Loan product, which offers financial incentives to encourage the adoption of green building…
Tracking decarbonisation: are Energy Performance Certificates fit for purpose?
As I outlined in my last LinkedIn article, the government is walking a narrow path between balancing economic growth with its net zero obligations. Both are hugely important objectives, but are they antithetical? How do you balance trying to deliver…
The government’s delicate balancing act between growth, housing and net zero obligations
The tension between the government’s efforts to re-energise a sluggish economy, and its commitments to setting the UK on the path towards net zero, can be seen across many different areas of policymaking. And, time and again, the need to…
Building houses and habitats: how mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain impacts real estate
The government has set a bold target to build 1.5 million new homes in the UK over the course of this parliament and correctly identified a dysfunctional planning system as one of the primary obstacles to building houses. Reforming this…
Beyond the buzzword: why creating social value is one of our industry’s most important responsibilities
The ‘E’ in ESG has typically received the most airtime, while the ‘S’ has been comparatively overlooked. That is true across many sectors – but particularly applicable in the world of real estate. This is partly a function of social…
Why MMC has a vital role to play in delivering a sustainable built environment
Last month, my colleague Boris Rumak wrote how mitigating the risk of contractor insolvency when funding modular construction schemes can make modern methods of construction (MMC) more commercially viable, unlocking their potential to transform the UK’s housing market. In this…
How bridge loans can help create a more sustainable real estate sector
Late last year, my colleague David Jerrard wrote how, amid economic uncertainty, bridge lending provides much-needed financial support to developers in circumstances where the real estate asset is not yet generating income. This could be either pre-construction (providing financial support…
Building with B Corp: How B Corp can help deliver a sustainable real estate sector
There are 1,500 UK-headquartered businesses with B Corp certification. Yet less than 40 of these operate in the real estate sector. Worldwide, the food and drink industry is the front-runner, followed by the IT software and services sector in second…
The cost of being green: how the housing sector must respond to the ULEZ backlash
Last month, the proposed expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone became a lightning rod for growing discontent with the costs imposed on consumers to finance the UK’s green transition. In Uxbridge, West London, there was a groundswell of popular…