AEW Europe has promoted Vanessa Roux-Collet to CEO Europe, replacing Rob Wilkinson, who is leaving to join UK real estate investment trust Hammerson as CEO.
AEW Europe said as part of an internal promotion, Christina Ofschonka has been named CIO Europe to replace Raphaël Brault, who is also leaving to join CBRE as CEO of its advisory business in France.
Wilkinson will join Hammerson’s board on 15 December 2025 as CEO designate and will take up his role as CEO on 1 January 2026, as he succeeds Rita-Rose Gagné who, as announced in June, has informed the board of her intention to retire, following five years in role.
Wilkinson has been AEW Europe’s CEO for over 11 years after joining the firm in 2009, initially serving as CIO in Europe until 2014.
He was previously a non-executive director at UK property firm Grainger from 2015 to 2023 and has been a non-executive director of developer Derwent London since 2024. His previous experience includes working at Goodman Group, Eurohypo and UBS.
Robert Noel, chair of Hammerson, said: “Rob is an established and proven real estate leader who brings a wealth of experience and a track record of delivering shareholder value. Through a rigorous recruitment process, Rob stood out from a strong field of candidates as someone who was able to translate strategic insight into shareholder value creation through exceptional leadership.”
Wilkinson said: “I am honoured to have been appointed as CEO of Hammerson and look forward to working with the team. Under Rita-Rose’s leadership the company has completed a major turnaround of the portfolio and restructured the balance sheet, firmly establishing Hammerson in a new phase of growth.
“I am excited to continue this journey, advancing the company’s unique portfolio of prime retail and leisure anchored city destinations.”
AEW Europe said Roux-Collet will also head its French business as part of the promotion which also includes Ofschonka being CIO Europe, in addition to her existing role as AEW Europe’s head of Germany & CEE.
Brault is set to take over from Fabrice Allouche on 1 January 2026, as Allouche steps down as CEO and moves into a consulting role with CBRE.
Prior to AEW, Brault spent more than a decade at Morgan Stanley, where he led the commercial real estate structured finance team for France, Benelux and Spain.
Marco Hekman, chairman, advisory services, continental Europe and UK & Ireland, CBRE, said: “Fabrice has led the business for 12 years and has supported its growth over this time. We thank Fabrice for his successful leadership and ongoing commitment to CBRE.
“He will be handing over the business in a strong position to a brilliant successor. Raphael is perfectly positioned to lead our market-leading team in France. We look forward to sustaining our momentum and building on our strengths across the market under his strong leadership.”
Roux-Collet has been with AEW Europe, a subsidiary of Natixis Investment Managers, since 2010, having joined the legal department before being promoted to head of legal in Paris in 2015. She later served as general secretary Europe in 2018.
Prior to joining AEW Europe, Roux-Collet was a senior lawyer at Clifford Chance within the real estate department, having started her career at Jones Day.
With almost 20 years of industry experience, Ofschonka joined AEW Europe in 2016. Before her promotion to head of Germany & CEE, she served as head of fund management for the German platform and as fund manager of AEW Europe’s flagship open-ended pan-European core strategy.
Prior to joining AEW Europe, Ofschonka worked as a portfolio manager at Alte Leipziger for seven years and began her career at IVG.
Philippe Setbon, CEO of Natixis Investment Managers, said: “AEW Europe is a leader in the global real estate markets and a cornerstone of Natixis Investment Managers’ private asset offering, so I am pleased to have Vanessa and Christina, two industry veterans and long-time leaders at AEW Europe with a strong international background and network, in these leadership positions.
“I also want to thank Rob and Raphaël for their contributions to AEW Europe’s growth over the years.”
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