The Aquadro Office is an independent owner’s representative for family offices, private owners and hotel owners, led by Rob Aquadro.

“Complex projects rarely fail for a lack of specialist talent. They go off track when there is no one on the owner's side to turn competing advice into clear direction. An owner's representative does that, independently, and early enough for it to matter.”

Rob Aquadro

Founder

Rob is a quantity surveyor by training. He has spent twenty years representing owners on property that mattered to them personally, seventeen of them leading capital projects for the Virgin Group Family Office: the reinstatement of Necker Island after Hurricane Irma, the restoration of Son Bunyola in Mallorca and the safari lodges in South Africa among them. Most recently he was Director of Capital Projects for the Lore Group hotel portfolio.

Rob Aquadro, founder of The Aquadro Office

How is this different from a project manager?

In the UK, the Project Manager and Employer’s Agent both act for the owner within the scope of their appointments: delivering the project and administering the building contract. The owner’s representative is appointed for the owner’s wider interests: before there is a project, alongside the team while it runs, and after it closes.

Working alongside your team. We do not replace or duplicate the project manager, architect or cost consultant. The owner gets independent representation; the team gets one client voice, a stable brief and timely decisions. We are often introduced by the professionals already on a project.

Project Manager

Appointed to

Deliver a defined project.

Focus

The delivery: programme, cost and coordination of the team.

Timeline

Brief to handover.

Accountability

Leads project delivery through the appointed team.

Value to the project

A coordinated team working to one programme.

Employer’s Agent

Appointed to

Administer the building contract.

Focus

The building contract and its administration.

Timeline

Contract award to final account.

Accountability

Acts under the building contract.

Value to the project

A properly administered contract and a fair final account.

Owner’s Representative

Appointed to

Represent the owner across projects and over time.

Focus

The owner’s objectives across the project, asset and wider portfolio.

Timeline

Investment decision to long-term operation.

Accountability

Provides independent advice and representation to the owner.

Value to the project

One client voice, a stable brief and faster decisions.

Our values

  • Integrity
    Do what we say. Say what needs saying.

  • Fairness
    Fair to the team. Fierce about the outcome for the owner.

  • Clarity
    Make the complex clear.

  • Decisiveness
    Know when to listen. Know when to lead.

  • Innovation
    Always look for ways to do things better.

Testimonials

  • "For seventeen years, Rob was integral to some of the projects closest to my heart, including Son Bunyola, Kasbah Tamadot, and rebuilding Necker Island after a hurricane. He is professional, unflappable and a pleasure to work with – I can’t recommend him highly enough."

    Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group

  • “Rob held together a complex, multi-country build for Virgin’s African lodges – remote sites, live operations, and teams spread across three countries – bringing deep institutional knowledge and clear commercial guardrails. He is the owner’s representative you want when the work is hard and the location is difficult.”

    Guy McGregor, Managing Director, Luxury Frontiers

  • “I worked closely with Rob for over ten years and throughout he was excellent. A true professional that was not fazed by any project, location or challenge. He is a dedicated and thorough leader who showed great capability across a wide range of developments and projects. Solutions focused and a great guy to work with.”

    Joe Margison, CEO, Virgin Hotels Collection