Sirius Real Estate, IMMO, Schroder Real Estate, Immobel Capital Partners, Cushman & Wakefield, Credit Suisse, Greystone, BNP Paribas REIM, Spek Advisory FZE, CBRE, Middleburg Communities, PTM Partners, JBG Smith, 57 Ocean, Lehrer Cumming, Accord Group, Invesco Real Estate
BNP Paribas REIM – Maarten van der Spek, who joined BNP Paribas REIM as head of strategy in April last year, has left the company to start an advisory business. Van der Spek disclosed on his LinkedIn profile that he has started his own company, Spek Advisory FZE. Prior to joining BNP Paribas REIM in 2021, Van der Spek was a senior strategist at Abu Dhabi Investment Authority for almost five years. Before that, he was as director of strategy for private real estate at PGGM. He joined the Dutch investor in 2009.
Heimstaden – Frans Heijbel has been appointed managing director within strategy and M&A at Heimstaden. Heijbel joins from Sweden’s biggest pension fund Alecta, a long-term investment partner of Heimstaden. At Alecta, Heijbel was head of international real assets. Heijbel has been a board member at Heimstaden Bostad for about four years on behalf of Alecta - a position from which he will step down, as he joins Heimstaden. Christian Fladeland, Heimstaden’s CIO, said Heijbel would bring considerable experience to the firm, after his 20-plus years in the property and finance industries in Stockholm and London.
CBRE – Steven Devaney has joined the commercial real estate services and investment firm’s UK arm as head of capital markets research. Devaney was an associate professor of real estate appraisal at the University of Reading for five years. Prior to that, he was a lecturer.
Immobel Capital Partners – The London-based investment management business of Immobel Group has appointed Andrew MacDonald as head of finance and joint ventures. MacDonald will be responsible for originating, structuring and managing joint venture investments and debt and corporate finance. He joins from Schroder Real Estate, where he was head of real estate finance and spent ten years covering debt financing, capital structuring and financial underwriting. He previously spent four years at Invista Real Estate Investment Management as a director of opportunity and commercial listed funds.
Sirius Real Estate – CFO Diarmuid Kelly will be taking 12 months paternity leave from 22 September. Diarmuid has indicated his intention to return to his role within Sirius Facilities GmbH as group FD in September 2023. He has now left his role as CFO of Sirius Real Estate and Alistair Marks, CIO and former CFO, has agreed to step in as interim CFO. The company will shortly begin a search for a new CFO of Sirius Real Estate.
IMMO – The technology-led residential real estate investment platform has appointed Hima Mandali as chief technology officer. Mandali joins from German fintech Solarisbank. Mandali will be responsible for scaling IMMO’s technology platform and products. In his new role as CTO, Mandali will also lead on ensuring consistency of standards as IMMO continues to scale its platform. Between 2008 and 2019, Mandali spent 12 years at CapitalOne where he most recently held the role of director of software engineering.
Middleburg Communities – The US multifamily investment and management company has appointed Janine Steiner Jovanovic as partner and chief growth officer. Jovanovic will focus on building out Middleburg’s operating platform through strategic acquisition of management companies while expanding the firm’s third-party management footprint. She will also oversee Middleburg’s venture, proptech and fintech investments and the implementation of these technologies across the firm’s portfolio. Prior to joining Middleburg, Jovanovic ran an advisory firm that delivered strategy and investment services to real estate and technology innovators. She previously served as executive VP of asset optimisation at RealPage.
Cushman & Wakefield – A six-member multifamily brokerage team led by Tim McKay, Sam Wayne, Dan Chhan and Matt Kemper has joined Cushman & Wakefield in Seattle, Washington from Colliers. The team includes McKay, Wayne and Chhan as managing directors, Matt Kemper as senior director, Adam Groberman as an associate and Emily Skadan as marketing programme manager.
Greystone – Clive Lipshitz has been appointed managing director for new investment management initiative at Greystone’s corporate finance group. Prior to joining Greystone, Lipshitz was responsible for strategy and product development at Credit Suisse Alternative Investments and at Brookfield. At Tradewind Interstate Advisors, he advised leading infrastructure, real estate, and private market investment firms. As a guest scholar at NYU Stern, Lipshitz co-authored a book on infrastructure finance as well as several studies of pension funds published in finance journals. In his new role, Lipshitz will oversee institutional investor outreach and develop a new investment management initiative at the firm as it continues its growth and expansion. Lipshitz will engage with prospective investors to bring them access to Greystone’s loan and capital market products. In his role, he will also oversee market intelligence and product strategy and development for this effort.
PTM Partners – The real estate investment and development firm has appointed Isabella Chandris as business development associate, Jake Dickstein as an asset management associate, Fernanda Parenti as office manager and Dana Danieli as project director. Chandris’ real estate career began when she worked for LCP Properties in the UK, followed by a four-year career in the technology sector upon moving to the US in 2021. Prior to being appointed business development associate at PTM, she joined the team as an intern in 2021. Dickstein began his career as an investment banking analyst at Houlihan Lokey in NYC. Prior to joining PTM, Dickstein was an investments associate at JBG Smith. Dickstein officially joined the PTM team as an associate for acquisitions and asset management in May 2022. Parenti began her development experience in 2012, where she held several roles at firms such as Cervera Real Estate before joining the Douglas Elliman team as their contract administrator. Most recently, Parenti was the sales office manager at multiplan real estate management for 57 Ocean. In her new role as office manager, Parenti will be responsible for the operations of PTM’s newest residential developments. Through Danieli’s recent roles at various firms and companies such as the US Department of Homeland Security, Colter Urban, HB Capital and most recently, Lehrer Cumming, Danieli has a wide range of experience that allows him to anticipate the needs of complex projects, estimate costs, and navigate the processes of governing agencies.
Accord Group – The global real estate strategic investment and capital advisory firm has appointed Rita Ling managing director for Asia. Ling previously served as managing director and head of investor relations at Invesco Real Estate in Asia as well as at Phoenix Property Investors in Hong Kong.
