TMX Transform appoints Frances Farren as portfolio director

TMX Transform has appointed Frances Farren as Portfolio Director for its UK portfolio management service, adding another senior property executive to the supply chain consultancy's UK and Europe leadership team.

Farren joins from Royal Mail, where she spent nearly two decades in senior property roles. Most recently, she was Portfolio Strategy and Projects Director, working on portfolio strategy and estate planning linked to Royal Mail's long-term network changes.

Her experience also includes leading Royal Mail's building fabric survey and RAAC remediation programme, which won the CIR Business Continuity Award for “Partnership in Recovery” in 2025. Earlier in her career, she led the property strategy and delivery of the Midlands Super Hub, Royal Mail's automated distribution centre.

The appointment comes as TMX expands its property offering in the UK and continental Europe. Demand has risen for advice that connects property decisions with transport and wider supply chain planning as businesses respond to disruption affecting networks and operations.

Farren's arrival is the third senior leadership hire for the UK and Europe business this year, following the appointments of Stephen Vickers as Director - Property & Project Services and Tom Fitz-Walter as Managing Director - UK and Europe.

Vickers joined from Panattoni, where he was Commercial Delivery Director. His experience is rooted in industrial property development and delivery, while Farren's has focused on occupier-side portfolio strategy, investment planning and estate management.

That mix is intended to reflect a structure TMX already uses in Australia, combining property advisory work with broader operational and supply chain consulting. The business aims to support clients on both the developer and occupier sides of property decisions.

UK expansion

Britain has become a key growth market for supply chain advisers as retailers, manufacturers and logistics operators reassess warehouse networks, transport links and real estate commitments. Rising costs, shifting trade flows and pressure on delivery performance have pushed more companies to review where they invest, what they retain and which sites no longer fit their needs.

Against that backdrop, consultancies with logistics property expertise have been building teams that can advise on site selection, portfolio planning and operational design within a single service line. TMX's latest hire shows how that trend is extending beyond traditional property advisers into supply chain consulting groups.

Farren's experience at Royal Mail is likely to resonate with companies managing large, complex operational estates. Royal Mail has one of the UK's largest property footprints, and its estate has been central to the shift towards parcel handling and automated processing.

TMX said the addition of senior leaders in the region is intended to deepen the support it can provide to UK and European clients. It also pointed to sustained pressure on supply chains as a driver of demand for more specialised advice.

Fitz-Walter outlined the rationale for bringing Farren into the business.

“We're delighted to welcome someone of Frances's calibre and experience to the team. Her background at Royal Mail, leading portfolio strategy across one of the UK's largest and most complex estates, speaks for itself. She brings the occupier's perspective to complement what we've already built out in property this year, and that means our clients now get support on all sides of the property decision - exactly how we design our wider offering in supply chain and operational strategy,” said Fitz-Walter.

Property focus

The appointment also highlights the growing overlap between logistics real estate and supply chain strategy. Warehouse location, automation investment, transport access and lease structures increasingly affect how quickly companies can adapt networks when volumes shift or disruption hits.

For occupiers, that has made property a more strategic issue than a simple real estate function. Decisions about whether to hold, upgrade or exit a site can directly affect service levels, labour access and transport costs.

Farren said those issues were becoming more prominent for businesses operating in Europe.

“TMX Transform is in an exciting stage of growth in the UK, and a huge part of that is ensuring the property division and portfolio management is well established in the wider market. In Europe, occupiers are increasingly looking for a partner who understands how property decisions connect to their wider operations, global disruption and supply chain resilience. I'm looking forward to working with clients on the bigger portfolio questions, and advising where to invest, what to hold, and what to exit,” said Farren.