Industriens Pension, PureSky Energy, Cushman & Wakefield, Lunson Mitchenal, Allura Real Estate Partners, EQT, LaSalle Investment Management, CBRE, Savills, Lendlease Global Commercial REIT, Bidwells, Avison Young, Buro Four, Garbe
Partners Group – Mike Bryant has taken on the role of sole global head of real estate as Karim Habra, who assumed a co-head position a year ago, plans to depart the firm. The leadership restructuring of the real estate division follows the firm’s acquisition of Empira Group. As part of this transition, Habra has decided to step down as global co-head of real estate to explore new opportunities. His departure date is yet to be determined. Bryant is a member of the global executive board, the chairman of the private real estate investments committee. Prior to joining Partners Group, Bryant worked at GE Capital Real Estate, HVB Real Estate Capital, Erste Bank, Coopers and Lybrand and Cushman and Wakefield.
Industriens Pension – Peter Mikkelsen has been hired as the Danish labour-market pension fund’s new head of real assets, taking over from Jan Østergaard as part of an “ongoing generational change”, the pension fund announced. Østergaard, who has worked at Industriens Pension for 26 years, will continue in a specialist role in the department, also working across the organisation on product development within investments. Mikkelsen will come to the pension fund from his role as co-owner and CIO of investment brokerage Marselis, having previously held various management roles at Nordea. Industriens Pension’s head of real estate Søren Tang Kristensen will continue in his current position, and report to Mikkelsen.
LaSalle Investment Management — Steve Hyung Kim has been appointed Asia Pacific co-CIO, partnering with Kunihiko Okumura who will continue in his role as Asia Pacific co-CIO. Claire Tang will depart LaSalle at the end of February 2025 and step down from her roles as Asia Pacific co-CIO and head of Greater China to pursue other opportunities. Tang joined LaSalle in 2007. Additionally, effective 1 July 2025, Okumura and Kim will succeed Keith Fujii as co-heads of Asia Pacific and join LaSalle’s Global Management Committee. Okumura and Kim will also continue to serve as CEO of Japan and Head of Korea respectively. Kim joined LaSalle Japan in 2011. He was appointed Asia Pacific co-CIO in 2021 and additionally as CEO of Japan in 2023. Okumura joined LaSalle in 2013 and currently serves as head of Korea and as a member of the Asia Pacific investment committee. As part of this leadership transition, Fujii will assume the role of chairman of Asia Pacific, also effective 1 July 2025, and retain his position as chairperson of the Asia Pacific investment committee. He joined LaSalle as CEO of Japan in 2018 and was appointed head of Asia Pacific in 2021.
CBRE – Becky Stormer has been promoted to lead the firm’s sports sector offering in the UK. Stormer has been with CBRE for over six years in the firm’s Central London investment properties team. In her new role, Stormer will be responsible for implementing and delivering the three-year growth plan for the sector, deepening CBRE’s relationships with key clients and leveraging the existing expertise across CBRE Advisory, Turner & Townsend and CBRE global workplace solutions. Marcus Lemli has been appointed head of capital markets in Germany. Lemli succeeds Kai Mende, who has been managing the division on an interim basis in addition to his role as CEO of CBRE advisory services in Germany. Most recently, Lemli held the position as CEO of Germany and head of investment for Europe at Savills, and previously held management positions at JLL in Germany and Spain, as well as at Savills in Spain.
PureSky Energy – Rami Khadra has been appointed CFO. Khadra joins PureSky Energy from Amp Energy, where he served as VP of treasury and FP&A. Previously, he held senior treasury roles at Algonquin Power & Utilities, Brookfield Renewable Partners and Nakheel. As CFO, Khadra will focus on enhancing financial efficiency, optimising the company’s capital structure, and building strong relationships with investors and stakeholders. He will also play a role in supporting PureSky Energy’s mission to develop community-focused solar projects and advance the renewable energy transition.
EQT – William Vettorato has been appointed to lead the EQT Nexus Infrastructure advisory team. Vettorato, joined EQT in April 2023 as head of fund strategy, from Partners Group. Prior to joining Partners Group, Vettorato worked at Morgan Stanley in London as a financial engineer and exotic option structurer. EQT has created the semi-liquid EQT Nexus Infrastructure strategy to provide individual and institutional investors access to a diversified suite of infrastructure investment strategies.
Lendlease Global Commercial REIT – Guy Alexander Cawthra has been appointed CEO to replace Kelvin Chow. Cawthra has held various roles at Lendlease Group since 2014. He is currently the group’s managing director, investment management Asia. Cawthra will be responsible for leading the REIT’s manager team and overseeing the listed vehicle’s business, including investment, asset management and finance. Chow, who is leaving to pursue other opportunities, is the firm’s inaugural CEO since its listing in 2019.
Cushman & Wakefield – The real estate services firm has appointed Chris Watt as a partner. Watt joins from niche retail and leisure agency Lunson Mitchenall, where he was a director and spent eight years focused on acquiring and disposing of shopping centres and high street and leisure assets. Prior to that, he worked at WSB Property Consultants in Leeds. At Cushman & Wakefield, he will focus on the in-town shopping centre and retail and leisure market, working closely with Marcus Wood, head of UK retail capital markets, and Joshua Vernon, partner of retail capital markets.
Allura Real Estate Partners – Ian Kelley has launched the European real tail real estate advisory firm. Kelley, who left Columbia Threadneedle Investments, in September last year, initially founded the Paris office of BMO Real Estate Partners in 2015 to create a European real estate platform, which later became part of Columbia Threadneedle Investments in 2021 following a change in shareholder. Kelley’s experience spans across leading firms including CBRE Investment Management, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Bouygues Immobilier and Polo Ralph Lauren.
GRR Garbe Retail Real Estate – Carolin Pfeffer has been appointed head of capital markets and strategy. She will be responsible for capital raising at the company, which specialises in retail real estate across Germany and Europe. Pfeffer will also be the first representative of GRR Garbe Retail to be based in Hamburg, strengthening the company’s connection to the Garbe platform. In her new role, she reports to Jan Heidelmann, who took over as MD on 1 February 2025. Pfeffer joined Garbe three years ago. Before that, she spent more than ten years in various roles at DWS, the asset management arm of Deutsche Bank.
Bidwells — Darren Wright, David Boles and Richie Collins have joined the firm’s project management leadership. Wright joins as a partner. He was formerly with Avison Young and has worked with funds, asset managers and private clients to reposition and enhance existing assets, ensuring they meet modern sustainability and performance standards. Boles who also steps into a partner role, is the former head of Buro Four’s Manchester office. With a track record in hospitality, residential, commercial and office projects, Collins excels in managing complex schemes with a sharp focus on quality, budget and scheduling.
