Feldberg Capital, CBRE, CapMan Infra, Equinix, Heimstaden, Ryman Hospitality Properties, Gaw Capital Partners, Peachtree, Cushman & Wakefield, LeadCrest Capital Partners

Link REIT – John Saunders has joined the Hong Kong-listed firm as group chief investment officer, a newly created role, with effect from 4 March 2024. Saunders this month resigned as BlackRock’s head of Asia Pacific real estate and global head of the real estate client business. He also sat on key leadership and investment committees. Additionally, he was the sole portfolio manager for the Asia value add fund series and was also portfolio manager for BlackRock’s Asia core fund I. He joined BlackRock through its merger with MGPA in 2013 when he was the firm’s CEO of Asia and the portfolio manager of their Asian Property Funds series. Prior to joining MGPA, he worked for CLSA between 1999 and 2007. He also had a stint at Hongkong Land from 1994 to 1998 where he was involved with the development and leasing of a number of landmark projects in Singapore and other Asian countries.

CapMan Infra – The manager’s data centre platform has appointed Maria Sundvall as its CEO. Sundvall was most recently the EMEA managing director at digital infrastructure company Equinix. During her five and a half years at Equinix she was able to grow the company’s Swedish business by over 40%.   

Feldberg Capital – Kat Austreng has been associate director. Austreng will be responsible for supporting capital raising across Europe and is Feldberg’s first new hire since it acquired UK real estate investment managament business Brunswick Property Partners earlier this year. Her role will involve maximising the company’s international reach, fostering stronger collaboration between Feldberg’s UK and German teams, and facilitating product development and investment in UK programmes from continental Europe and vice versa. Austreng from CBRE Capital Advisors, where she advised clients on both lending and equity transactions. She was also vice chair of CBRE’s UK women’s network.

Cushman & Wakefield – The company has appointed executive vice chair Rob Rubano as its head of equity, debt and structured finance for the Americas. Rubano will work together with the firm’s executive Leadership to drive consistency and quality in client delivery and engagement, further technology enhancements to promote data driven insights and transparency, and contribute to the growth, scalability, and operational effectiveness of the platform.

Peachtree Group – The diversified commercial real estate investment firm has named Sameer Nair as senior vice president of equity asset management. In this role, he will oversee and implement asset oversight to Peachtree’s real estate portfolio and preferred equity investments. With more than a decade of hospitality experience, Nair most recently was senior vice president of acquisitions and development for Hospitality Ventures Management. He also held a similar position at Banyan Investment Group as vice president of hotel investments.

Heimstaden – Chief legal officer Kristian Berentsen has decided to resign from her role at the European residential real estate company, effective 31 May 2024. Heimstaden also said due to personal reasons, Vibeke Krag has withdrawn as board member from the board of Heimstaden Bostad and Heimstaden, effective 31 December 2023.  

Gaw Capital Partners – Oliver Yates has joined the company as head of Australia. Yates will lead the strategic expansion of the Hong Kong-based asset manager in Australia. With Yates’ appointment, Gaw Capital is planning to accelerate its expansion into the new sectors, leveraging his network and expertise. A veteran senior executive of Macquarie Group and chief executive of Clean Energy Finance Corp, Yates brings decades of expertise and experience in financial markets, climate tech and clean energy investment to Gaw Capital.   

LeadCrest Capital Partners – The company has appointed Audrey Potier as head of legal and compliance, Laurent Mahaux as head of tax and structuring and Jérôme Maquet as associate, accounting and finance. Before joining LeadCrest, Potier was leading the real assets legal team of Aviva Investors in Luxembourg. She was also a member of the leadership team of Aviva Investors Luxembourg and sitting on the board of their general partners and real assets vehicles. Before joining Aviva Investors in 2012, Potier was an in-house lawyer and account manager in the structured finance department of TMF Luxembourg. Prior to this, Potier held various positions among others at a leading Luxembourg real estate private equity group, at Deloitte in Luxembourg, as well as for an advisory firm in Germany. Prior to joining LeadCrest, Mahaux was fund manager at Coros. Before joining Coros in 2020, Mahaux re-joined PwC in Luxembourg in 2016 as a director in the corporate tax department. He had started his career there in 2003 and left in 2008 to spend seven years at law firms Arendt & Medernach and Wildgen in Luxembourg, where he was a tax lawyer. Prior to joining LeadCrest, Maquet was assistant manager in the corporate accounting department of Deloitte’s tax and consulting business in Luxembourg. Before joining Deloitte in 2019, Maquet worked for Alter Domus Luxembourg as an officer.

Ryman Hospitality Properties – Erin Mulligan Helgren has been appointed to the board of directors. Helgren currently serves as CEO of OfficeSpace Software. She previously served in a variety of senior executive roles with several public and private companies, including over 11 years at Dell, where she most recently served as chief marketing officer.

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