Name: James Lewis
Designation: Managing Director, Middle East & Africa
Company: Knight Frank MENA
Category: Brokerage Powerhouses
With nearly two decades of global real estate experience and a track record of pioneering success in the Middle East, James Lewis serves as the Managing Director and Partner of Knight Frank MEA, leading the firm’s operations across the Middle East and Africa. From Riyadh and Jeddah to Doha, Manama, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, James has been instrumental in shaping Knight Frank’s presence across the region.
Since relocating to the Gulf in 2008, James has played a foundational role in establishing and expanding Knight Frank’s Capital Markets and Advisory footprint in the region. His expertise spans occupational and capital market advisory, with a client base that includes multinational corporations, investment institutions, family offices, and private clients seeking deep, data-driven real estate insights.
Under James’s leadership, Knight Frank MEA has grown into a multidisciplinary advisory powerhouse, delivering services that span valuation, development consultancy, occupier solutions, commercial agency, residential sales, and more. Known for combining global standards with deep local intelligence, the firm continues to be the partner of choice for real estate decision-makers across emerging and mature markets. James’s leadership philosophy centres around empowering people. He is as focused on team development as he is on client outcomes, fostering a workplace culture where ambition, collaboration, and excellence thrive.
A graduate of the University of Reading with a BSc in Land Management, James also holds an MBA from Bayes Business School and is a proud member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Through a mix of strategic foresight, market fluency, and unwavering professionalism, James Lewis continues to elevate Knight Frank’s vision in one of the world’s most dynamic real estate regions.
