The people leading the iQ team
iQ has a strong operational management team
The iQ leadership team brings significant combined experience across the real estate, student accommodation, hospitality and leisure sectors.
With headquarters in London and Manchester, our management team leads a 695-strong workforce, empowered to contribute to the success of the business through locally based decision making. Operating an open culture is important to our management team, and we encourage employees to share their views with us.
Matt Merrick
Chief Executive Officer
Matt was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in July 2021, having joined iQ in 2017 as Chief Operating Officer. He has been the driving force behind developing iQ’s digital platforms, and an increased focus throughout the business on the customer experience. Matt previously held leadership positions at Virgin Active, including Finance Director, UK Managing Director and then European COO. During his time at Virgin Active, Matt led successful integrations following two major mergers and was responsible for the launch of the company’s luxury offer, The Collection.
Ollie Humphries
Chief Operating Officer
Ollie Joined iQ in Jan 2024 and was appointed COO in Jan 2025. He is an experienced operator having spent over 20 years in predominantly large scale, B2C, multi-site operations. Ollie was previously CEO at Family First Nurseries, which he grew to become the 4th largest UK operator, and where he led the business through a successful exit. Prior to that Ollie held leadership roles across PE and PLC businesses including TRG PLC, where he was Managing Director of Frankie & Bennys, William Hill and Yum Restaurants International.
Dush Sangar
Chief Financial & Investment Officer
Dush was appointed Chief Financial & Investment Officer in May 2026 having joined iQ as Chief Investment Officer in 2021. He leads iQ’s finance and investment functions, with responsibility for financial strategy, capital allocation, and portfolio management. He has over 20 years' real estate investment and corporate finance experience having joined from Intu Properties PLC where he was CIO and, prior to this, held real estate investment roles at MGPA (now BlackRock), Pengana Capital, having started his career in UBS’s Real Estate Investment Banking team.
Candice Hall
General Counsel
Candice joined iQ as General Counsel in 2025. Prior to her role with iQ, Candice worked in a variety of senior roles within the Legal & General Group, including General Counsel of the Retirement and Retail Divisions, Deputy Group Company Secretary and Chief of Staff to the Group CEO. Prior to that, she was a corporate lawyer at Clifford Chance with a focus on financial institutions.
