Emanuele Bena, a former JP Morgan EMEA real estate executive director, has joined NREP as partner and capital markets head.

Bena, who will be based in a newly established London office, is the Nordic real estate investor’s first non-Nordic partner.

The €4bn manager said the appointment is to help grow the company’s ”pipeline of large regional and international investment opportunities and to increase its available financing options”.

Claus Mathisen, CEO of NREP, said: “We left 2019 with a record-breaking investment momentum, and our pipeline of opportunities is significant.

”As we strive to realise the full potential of NREP, improving sources of financing will be key.”

Mathisen said Bena has been with JP Morgan for 15 years and he will add substantial capital market experience, as well as valuable support for structural- and M&A-type deals.

Bena said: “Nordic countries are among the most active real estate markets in Europe if you look at number of players and transactions.

“Despite this, products and players from international capital markets have been relatively under-represented historically – partly because of differences in national legislation and partly because of strong competition from regional incumbents.”

According to Bena’s LinkedIn profile, joined JP Morgan in August 2004. He was vice president - investment banking coverage between 2011 and 2013 and became executive director from 2014 for six years.