Real estate investment management veteran Andrew Thornton has formed Enterprise Land, a real estate investment company that will operate in the UK and Europe.
Thornton said Enterprise Land will aim to bring together and work with companies specialising in the “four factors of production, enterprise, land, labour and capital, to offer compelling, differentiated, investment solutions”.
Headquartered in London, Enterprise Land will initially focus on investment and development in student accommodation, data centres and logistics, which it said are benefiting from tailwinds and offer mid-teen returns from development.
Thornton will recruit a team to work with him across Europe.
Thornton has experience of building pan-European portfolios and businesses. For the 17 years, he was co-founder and CEO of Internos Global Investors, a European real estate investment manager, which was sold to Principal Financial Group in 2018, where he subsequently became CEO of Principal Real Estate in Europe. From 1996 to 2007, he was a founder and European COO of Parkes and Company and then Invesco Real Estate, which acquired Parkes and Company.
Andrew Thornton, founder and chief executive of Enterprise Land, said: “I have formed Enterprise Land as a new type of intelligent real estate company, connecting the four factors of production through an integrated investment ecosystem.
“Our mission is to bring together institutional rigour and entrepreneurial flair to create world-class investment solutions. The world has changed significantly and we have the ability to seize the opportunity without being held back by legacy.
“I have nearly 30 years’ experience creating and then building European businesses for top 10 global real estate investment managers. This experience of business formation, organic growth, mergers and acquisitions has, I believe, given me the know-how and expertise to make a success of Enterprise Land.”
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