

Luxury development & project management specialists based in Dubai, with a focus on mixed-use, sports, leisure and hospitality.

Louise Rodrigues, Founder
AQUILA actively cultivates a deep understanding of the Middle East and its luxury landscape. We translate this knowledge into personalized strategies and tangible outcomes, delivering an unparalleled client experience.
Our team of qualified professionals will actively support and represent you throughout the process. We’re here to navigate complexities and achieve your desired outcomes
Meet the Team
Executive Team

Founder & Managing Director
Louise Rodrigues MRICS
Louise is a seasoned development executive with over 20 years of international experience delivering complex, high-value projects across the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Her projects span large-scale mixed-use master plans, hospitality, leisure, education, and healthcare developments, with a strong track record of transforming ambitious visions into operationally and commercially successful destinations. She has led multi-billion-dollar projects in partnership with some of the region’s most prominent developers, bringing deep expertise in development management, project delivery, master planning strategy, PMO set-up, and UAE market entry. A Chartered Surveyor since 2002, Louise also serves on the RICS World Regional Board (MENA), where she contributes to the advancement of professional standards and the mentoring of future industry leaders. She is passionate about innovation, placemaking, and delivering environments that enrich communities and enhance user experience. In addition to her role at AQUILA, Louise is a Non-executive board member of a UK-based football scouting app, reflecting her interest in sports, talent development and digital platforms with real-world impact. Louise leads AQUILA with strategic clarity and on-the-ground experience, ensuring every project is defined by quality, integrity, and long-term value for clients in the construction, hospitality, and leisure sectors.

Finance & Operations Director
Phil Leese
Phil is a senior finance executive with over 15 years of experience driving commercial performance and operational excellence in high-growth, project-based environments. As Finance Director at AQUILA Project Management, he leads the company’s financial operations, ensuring capital is deployed effectively to support delivery, expansion, and long-term value creation. He brings expertise in working capital management, cash flow optimisation and financial forecasting. Phil has successfully led large teams in professional services organisations, creating and operating finance functions that deliver clarity, control, and strategic insight at every stage of the business cycle. A decisive and forward-thinking leader, Phil is integral to AQUILA’s executive team. He works across all functions to align financial planning with business objectives, enabling smart, agile decision-making and ensuring the company maintains its competitive edge. With a proven ability to streamline operations, manage risk, and enhance commercial outcomes, Phil plays a key role in driving AQUILA’s continued growth in regional and international markets.

Marketing Director
Christian Gould
Christian is a seasoned brand and digital communications strategist with a proven track record in elevating business presence across highly competitive sectors. As the founder of Blossom Agency, he brings over a decade of experience in creative direction, content production, and digital marketing, delivering measurable results for clients in property, hospitality, and lifestyle industries. At AQUILA, Christian leads brand and communications strategy, ensuring the company’s projects are positioned with clarity, consistency, and impact across all channels. His expertise in visual storytelling, social media strategy, and content design plays a vital role in showcasing the quality, innovation, and commercial value behind AQUILA’s developments. He has worked with both global brands and ambitious new ventures, building narratives that resonate with investors, partners, and end users alike. Christian’s understanding of how to translate complex projects into compelling visual and digital experiences supports AQUILA’s growth in high-touch sectors like hospitality, leisure, and luxury residential. Through strategic communications and a focus on brand integrity, Christian helps ensure every AQUILA project is not only built to the highest standards, but seen, understood, and appreciated by the right audiences.
Advisory Board

Strategy
Steve Lloyd
Steve is a strategic and commercially focused leader with over 15 years of experience in private equity, asset management, and business operations. He has successfully built and scaled multi-billion-pound investment platforms, with expertise in capital structuring, governance and financial oversight. Steve brings knowledge of performance optimisation and stakeholder engagement, with a focus on sustainable, long-term growth. At AQUILA, he advises on strategy, operational scalability and business efficiency, ensuring the company’s operating model supports its active delivery across the project portfolio.

Digital Excellence
Nicola Clement
Nicola is a senior executive with over 20 years of experience leading transformation across customer experience, digital strategy and operational delivery. She has overseen large cross-functional teams across technology, data, and service functions, with a focus on improving efficiency, user experience, and commercial outcomes. Nicola advises AQUILA on business operations, drawing on her expertise in aligning organisational strategy with end-user needs, streamlining service models, and optimising performance in customer-centric environments.

Finance
Craig Tocknell
Craig is a seasoned investment and finance executive with over 20 years’ experience building and scaling high-performing businesses with private equity. He has led the growth of multi-asset investment platforms to over $1 billion AUM, overseeing fund structuring, M&A, and business operations across global markets. Craig advises AQUILA on financial strategy, and governance, bringing a sharp commercial lens to business decisions and supporting performance-driven growth across the company’s core sectors.
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Client representation
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Project management
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Design management
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RFP & tender support
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Tech-led data progress tracking & reporting

Pre-construction services

Project Strategy
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Project strategy and set-up, through design, procurement & construction, including:
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Team structuring and assembly
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Contract strategy
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Programme review and analysis
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Distressed project review & turnaround planning
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Claims support
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Bid support (Consultants)
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Portfolio structuring
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Development strategy (master plans and individual projects)
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Budget planning: CAPEX & OPEX
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Operator engagement & support
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Pre-opening management

Development Advisory
Our team has been trusted by:


Following on from my last article, I wanted to expand on what I consider to be the most important part of projects: team curation.
The power of carefully assembled teams is often undervalued in our industry. Yet, this thoughtful approach can be a key differentiator.
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Aquila Blog, all things PM

This is one of my favourite images. I was shown something similar as a graduate (probably in black and white!), and not one project goes by without me remembering this image. It is quite possibly the reason that many projects ‘fail’. Of course, ‘failure’ is a subjective term, and there are many reasons for projects to derail.
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