StudentCrowd appoints Philip Hillman as new advisor

StudentCrowd, the UK’s leading student property data provider for purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), has announced ex-JLL Living Capital Markets chairman and student living industry pioneer Philip Hillman is joining the team as Advisor and Ambassador. 

Considered one of the earliest pioneers in advising lenders and investors on the emerging student housing sector in the UK, Philip brings over four decades of expertise, offering valuable guidance and insight as StudentCrowd accelerates its expansion across Europe. 

Founded in 2014, StudentCrowd is the foremost provider of property data for the UK and Irish student markets. It already collects comprehensive data for Germany, Spain, and France, with additional countries due to come online later in 2025.

The platform contains the widest range of critical, real-time information on the market, with 3.4 billion data points covering operator and building-level detail, live price and availability, bed numbers, property features, pipeline data, incentives for all tenancies, and student reviews. 

Paul Humphreys, StudentCrowd CEO, said: “We are delighted to welcome Philip Hillman to the team. His involvement comes at a time of significant growth and expansion for StudentCrowd, and his deep understanding of the sector and insights into investors and lenders will be invaluable as we continue to scale.”

In his 38 years at JLL, Philip, an International Director, held the posts of Chairman of Living Capital Markets and Chairman of Alternatives and led JLL’s student housing team, where he oversaw many of the largest transactions in the sector, totalling billions of pounds.

Since leaving the firm, Philip has held consultancy roles with well-known names including QX Global and Abodus, and continues to play a prominent role in the PBSA community. He is a regular speaker and chair at key industry conferences, including the Property Week Student Accommodation Conference, and LD Events’ upcoming Global Student Housing Conference on Tuesday 13th May, where he will chair the event. In recognition of his services to the sector, he was awarded ‘Personality of the Year’ at the Property Week Student Accommodation Awards in 2018 and was inducted into the ‘Student Housing Hall of Fame’ in 2021.

Philip added, “I’ve been involved in the student housing sector since before it was formally recognised as a sector in the UK. I was one of the first valuers in the sector and spent a lot of time helping lenders and investors understand the resilient qualities of student housing as an investment asset class. Having played my small part in helping  shape the market, I’m excited to support StudentCrowd as they continue to expand their reach and deliver the data and insights the sector relies on.”