Good things that stand the test of time
Rooted in the South Downs landscape, Downland Estate brings together social enterprise, land management, institutional investment and philanthropic activities under one umbrella.
A family-owed company, we work to deliver the long-term goals of our Founder and his family by protecting heritage and ecology, building social enterprises and designing places that support communities and local economies.
Team
David James Bailey
Founder & Chairman
David founded Downland in 2023 to take a multigenerational view on social impact. He also operates a private Grant Scheme for UK charities on behalf of his family and is the Founding Chairman of Needed.org.
David began building companies as a teenager through his love of computers.
In his twenties, David co-founded several video game and technology companies, the largest of which grew to more than 400 employees across Europe.
David’s businesses have achieved many acolades including The Queen’s Award for Enterprise, multiple BAFTA nominations and have featured in the Sunday Times’ Best Companies To Work For, TechTrack100 and the Guinness Book of Records.
Epic Games Inc acquired David’s video game interests in 2021 and he is now soley focussed on using his skills and resources to assist organisations that are helping people and landscapes.
“Impact compounds over time. So we have to think very long term and do work that will benefit people both today and long after we’ve gone.”
Stephen Silvester
Managing Director
Stephen is Downland’s Managing Director and he leads our institutional investment portfolio.
Stephen is also Finance Director at the law firm, White & Black and a Trustee of Jacobs Douwe Egberts pension fund which oversees investments for around 11,600 members.
Stephen was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 2010 and is an experienced corporate lawyer with a focus on venture capital, mergers and acquisitions.
Stephen’s business career has spanned Asia, Europe and the USA as CEO of Courtaulds Textiles, Global VP Operations for the swimwear giant, Speedo and Managing Director for Europe at Jockey International. He holds an MBA from London Business School.