Geoffrey Lander LLB
Non-Executive Director 2005 - 2020
Geoffrey Ian Lander had been a Non-Executive Director of Plato Estates Ltd for 15 years. He died after a short illness on 12 September 2020 at the age of 69.
His professional relationship with the Plato family however spans almost 39 years when initially (as a Partner in the law firm then called Nabarro Nathanson) he represented the business in the first commercial letting ever undertaken by Phillip Plato in 1982. Phillip & Geoffrey became lifelong friends and after retiring from legal practice, joined the Board of Plato Estates in 2005.
Geoffrey was truly a significant presence in the property and legal world having built his career to become the Head of Real Estate at Nabarro and then moving on to a successful career as a non-executive director at a number of prestigious organisations aside from Plato Estates. His support for the property industry was profound having been founding member and former president of the BCO, instrumental in the formation of Land Aid and founding member and chairman of CoreNet Global UK to mention just three. Over the years, so many of the great property companies counted Geoffrey as their key adviser and he was known to many not just as a brilliant lawyer and deal doer but as a true gentleman and friend.
Phillip Plato paid the following tribute shortly after Geoffrey’s death:
“Geoffrey and I had worked together for over 38 years. He was, aside from my own father, the biggest influence upon my life both professionally and personally. I admired his ability as a leading commercial property lawyer as well as his ethics, his generosity of spirit and integrity. Above all else he was a true friend who was always generous with his time. I am immensely grateful to have known him and my life as well as that of my family, was enriched by his friendship and support. The world will be a poorer place without him.
Geoffrey was undergoing chemotherapy for Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and whilst the prognosis was good for a full recovery, Geoffrey unfortunately suffered complications including an infection which brought about his sudden decline and sad death.
I was honoured to have Geoffrey join the Board of Plato Estates Ltd in 2005 as a Non-Executive Director as Geoffrey was truly one of the great people of the property and legal world having built his career to become the Head of Real Estate at Nabarro and then on to a successful career as a non-executive director at a number of prestigious organisations. I was flattered that he joined our humble family property investment business as his ability and scope of influence was well above our league. However, in those 15 years with Plato Estates he worked tirelessly to improve our business inspire and motivate anyone involved with our organisation.
He will be sorely missed. My family and I convey our deepest condolences to his wife Lynn and everyone else who mourn Geoffrey’s passing.”
Geoffrey was also Non-Executive Chairman of the law firm Davitt Jones Bould (a specialist law firm focused on real estate) where numerous further tributes have been left. See https://www.djblaw.co.uk/tributes-to-geoffrey-lander