Building with Brown
Anthony Pidgley's timing in turning the upmarket developer Berkeley Group into a regenerator of the urban landscape and a builder of green homes could not have been better given Gordon Brown's pronouncements on brownfield sites and carbon-zero homes.
There has been some pain along the way as evidenced by today's drop in profits, but Mr Pidgley says this should be read as nothing more than a careful restructuring.
The group has won plaudits for work in sustainable housing and inner-city revival and has plans to roll out carbon neutral projects fast. It understands that expertise in green concepts will be key to winning contracts.
Back in the emmission-ridden world, these visions offer no insulation to market uncertainties and rising interest rates still present a profits threat.