Vivienne King
Director of legal and company secretary
The Crown Estate
The Crown Estate is a UK property business, governed by an Act of Parliament, that funnels all of its profits into HM Treasury, totalling around £2bn over the past ten years. Vivienne King has been in the top legal job at The Crown Estate since 2007.
In the last couple of years, King and her three-lawyer team have overseen two legal panel reviews for the estate’s London property portfolio in St James’s and around Regent Street. Within those panels, King frequently uses a descending-price auction, commonly known as a Dutch auction.
King does not just handle the legal side of the business: as company secretary she also spends a great deal of her time working on sustainability, public affairs, and health and safety matters.
Law firms used: Burges Salmon, Hogan Lovells, LG, SJ Berwin
2007-present: Director of legal and company secretary, The Crown Estate
1997-2006: Deputy head of legal, The Crown Estate
1994-97: In-house lawyer, The Crown Estate
1985-94: Associate, Herbert Smith