In July, we say a fond farewell to Ian Moore, who after 16 years at Surrey Quays Shopping Centre is going to retire to the English/Welsh border to pursue his passion of walking and horse-riding. 

Ian joined the team in January 2005 as the Shopping Centre Manager, having previously worked at Lakeside (Thurrok), The Brewery (Romford), The Liberty (Romford) and Vicarage Fields (Barking). He has been in shopping centre management for 30 years, before which he was a residential social care worker.

When asked to summarise his time, Ian said “no two days are the same – working in a shopping centre your key role is problem solving and the ‘problem’ differs day-to-day. It’s a job that offers real variety, that’s what I’ll miss – along with my team.” 

As the Centre Manager, Ian has been at the helm of community projects from Time & Talents through to the National Literary Trust’s “Young Readers’ Programme”. As an outdoorsman, he has a particular place in his heart for the Surrey Docks Farm and the Young Farmers Club, where he has spent countless weekends volunteering with young people to teach them about animal rearing, care and sustainability.  

When we asked what he thought about the future of Canada Water, he said “the transformation will be huge for people locally and for London. It has been great being involved and working with the community to help them shape the plans. Now that British Land has started on site with construction works, I look forward to coming back to see it evolve.” 

Finally, we asked him for his most important piece of advice. He answered: “never be surprised with what can happen, and always be flexible in your response.”