Opera

What Opera does

Opera is a London-headquartered project management consultancy (legal entity: Leadership & Management Ltd) founded in 2016, operating predominantly across the central London commercial real estate market. The firm delivers project management, contract administration, employer's agent, development management, retail delivery, and strategic advisory services across the full real estate development lifecycle, from inception and planning through design, construction, and completion. Its client base comprises institutional-grade developers and property funds, including British Land, Landsec, Derwent London, TOG, Grosvenor, GPE, Argent, Battersea Power Station Development Company, Quintain, FORA, and others, with engagement models spanning commercial office refurbishment, cut-and-carve, mixed-use, build-to-rent, heritage, hospitality, and flex workspace schemes.

The firm runs a director-led delivery model with approximately 45 staff operating from its headquarters at 24/25 The Shard, London Bridge Street. It manages £4.5bn of live project value and reports a 70% repeat business rate from existing clients, reflecting deep institutional relationships rather than transactional sales. The senior team averages 15-30 years of central London real estate experience, drawn from major developers and consultancies (including Great Portland Estates and AYH/Arcadis). Differentiators include specialist expertise in complex central London refurbishment, heritage, and sustainability (the firm has been carbon neutral since 2021 with a net zero target by 2030).

The business model is professional services: bespoke, project-specific fees for PM mandates secured primarily through direct enterprise engagement, repeat client relationships, and competitive tender, with no standardised pricing or software/platform product. The firm has expanded geographically beyond central London into South East England and Yorkshire, and has added service lines such as strategic advisory, while remaining focused on UK real estate development. No external funding, acquisitions, or public listing are evidenced in available data, indicating independent, organically funded growth.

Name

Opera

Legal name

Leadership & Management Ltd

Website

https://operapm.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Opera is a London-based project management consultancy founded in 2016, delivering project management, employer's agent, development management, and retail delivery services to institutional real estate developers across commercial, residential, hospitality, and heritage schemes. With ~45 staff and £4.5bn of live project value, it serves clients including British Land, Landsec, Derwent London, and Grosvenor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Project Management Consultancy

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Real estate project management
• Construction consultancy services
• Development management
• Employer's agent services
• Commercial refurbishment projects

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Project Management Services: Opera generates revenue through professional services fees for project management, contract administration, and employer's agent roles on real estate development projects. Engagement models vary by project scope and client requirements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Opera is a specialist project management consultancy serving institutional real estate developers and funds in the central London market. The firm delivers end-to-end project management services across the full project lifecycle — from inception through planning, design, and construction to completion — including project management, contract administration, employer's agent roles, development management, retail delivery project management, and strategic advisory for hospitality and complex heritage projects.

Product overview

Opera is a specialist project management company operating in the central London real estate market. The company offers a unified set of project management and consultancy services rather than a software product or platform. Services include project management, contract administration, employer's agent services, development management, and retail delivery project management. The company was founded in 2016, employs 45 people, and manages projects with a live value of £4.5bn, maintaining a 70% repeat business rate with a director-led approach across all projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Management Services Comprehensive project management consultancy covering the full lifecycle of real estate development projects — from inception through planning, design, and construction to completion — for institutional-grade developers and property funds in the central London market. Services are delivered via a director-led model across complex office refurbishments, new builds, mixed-use schemes, heritage restoration, build-to-rent residential, and flexible workspace projects.
• Contract Administration and Employer's Agent Services Acting in formal contract administration and employer's agent roles for developer-led real estate projects, providing contractual oversight, administration of building contracts, and acting as the employer's representative throughout the construction phase for institutional developer clients.
• Development Management Services Development management advisory and delivery services for property developers, including feasibility, master planning, stakeholder management, and coordination of pre-construction phases. Engagements include cultural and mixed-use schemes for institutional clients.
• Retail Delivery Project Management Specialist retail delivery project management for large-scale mixed-use and retail-led developments, including flagship schemes such as the £10bn Battersea Power Station regeneration, Coal Drops Yard at King's Cross, and Wembley Park's 87-acre retail delivery.
• Strategic Advisory for Hospitality Projects Strategic advisory services for hospitality-led development projects, demonstrated through engagement with Crosstree on The Standard Hotel at King's Cross.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% repeat business rate from existing clients
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Turner & Townsend: Global project management and cost consultancy with a large central London real estate practice. Directly competes with Opera on commercial office and mixed-use mandates for institutional clients, but at significantly greater scale and with broader service lines.
• Arcadis: Global design and consultancy firm (parent of AYH plc, where Opera's CEO previously worked) with a major London project management and cost practice. Competes head-to-head on large commercial and mixed-use schemes with a much larger bench.
• Mace Group: International consultancy and construction group with a project management arm active across central London commercial real estate. Competes on similar institutional-grade mandates while also delivering as main contractor on some schemes.
• CBRE Project Management: Project management arm of global real estate services giant CBRE. Active in central London commercial development, competing with Opera for institutional mandates but operating within a much broader integrated real estate services platform.
• JLL Project Management: Real estate services firm JLL's UK project and development services division. Competes with Opera on central London commercial office and mixed-use mandates as part of a wider capital markets, agency, and advisory platform.

Direct peers

• Gardiner & Theobald: Independent UK construction and real estate consultancy with a strong London project management practice serving institutional developers. Closest peer in scale and specialism to Opera, competing for the same commercial and heritage mandates.
• Rider Levett Bucknall: International property and construction consultancy with a sizeable London PM practice serving commercial developers and funds. Directly comparable in scale, service offering, and client base to Opera on central London schemes.
• M3 Consulting: London-based specialist project and development management consultancy focused on commercial real estate. A close peer to Opera in size, specialism, and institutional client base (one of Opera's senior PMs previously worked at M3).
• TFT (Tuffin Ferraby Taylor): UK building and project consultancy with deep expertise in commercial office, heritage, and mixed-use schemes in London. Directly comparable boutique competitor serving many of the same institutional developers as Opera.

Emerging players

• Boyer (planning and development consultancy): UK planning-led development consultancy with overlap into project management for residential and mixed-use schemes. Tangential competitor and ecosystem partner to Opera on planning-constrained London projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/operapm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/operapm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Opera