Apache Capital, Collegiate AC, Precede Capital Partners, Arbuthnot Latham, Invesco Real Estate, CBRE, JLL, S3 Capital, PGIM, Barings, Dexus, Cushman & Wakefield, SitusAMC, BVK, Principal Real Estate Investors, Harbert Management Corporation, Blackstone Mortgage Trust
BVK – Norman Fackelmann, head of the €117bn German pension fund’s real estate capital investment division, has departed, according to a spokesperson. Fackelmann’s exit follows that of his direct report, Rainer Komenda, who headed the real estate investment management department for two decades. Fackelmann’s departure comes just weeks after BVK publicly admitted to compliance violations tied to loss-making US real estate transactions.
PGIM – Sam Mellor has joined the firm as head of real estate debt, Australia. Mellor will oversee PGIM’s Australian real estate debt strategies and portfolio management team. Stuart Carr will join PGIM as head of real estate equity, Australia, in December 2025. Carr will oversee the equity transaction team and lead origination, investment execution, and divestment activities across Australia. Mellor was formerly head of Europe and Asia Pacific real estate credit for Barings Asset Management. Prior to this, he held senior roles in banking and investment management across the UK nd Europe, including at Chenavari Investment Managers and ABN AMRO Bank. Carr was most recently head of investment strategy and origination at Dexus. Prior to this, he held senior roles at Lendlease and has originated and executed more than AU$10 billion of transactions in Australia and the UK.
Invesco Real Estate – Chase Bolding has been named head of North America. Charlie Rose, global head of real estate credit, has additionally been named CEO of Invesco Commercial Real Estate Finance Trust and appointed to its board of directors. Bolding joined Invesco Real Estate in 2010. He has been a driving force behind initiatives including leading the firm’s US opportunistic business for seven years, launching and building Invesco’s first non-traded REIT, and serving as CIO of Invesco Real Estate US for the past two years. Rose joined Invesco Real Estate in 2017 and has been instrumental in expanding its real estate credit business. Over the past nine years, he launched the firm’s first dedicated real estate credit fund and led an acquisition to further establish the platform’s European presence. Rose also served as president and lead portfolio manager of Invesco Commercial Real Estate Finance Trust prior to his new appointment. He remains global head of real estate credit, Invesco Real Estate.
S3 Capital – Michelle Fang has been appointed head of marketing and investor relations. Having previously worked with S3 in a consulting capacity, Fang will lead S3’s marketing, fundraising and investor engagement strategy, working closely with co-founders Joshua Crane and Robert Schwartz. She will play a key role in new business initiatives, product development and the overall growth strategy of the firm. Fang brings more than three decades of experience in marketing, product strategy, and capital formation for global real estate platforms. Previously, she served as senior MD at Principal Real Estate Investors, where she led global product development and capital raising and served on the firm’s management committee. Earlier in her career, she held real estate product and marketing roles at Metropolitan Real Estate Equity Management and GE Asset Management.
Apache Capital – Barbora Szabova has been appointed operations director. Szabova joins from Collegiate AC where she was head of operations for four years leading on its PBSA portfolio in UK with responsibility for asset management, strategic planning, operations, facilities management, sales and marketing. She has also held senior role at AMRO Partners, and played a key role in shaping the people strategy at Nido and Greystar Europe. Her broad expertise across operational management, leadership, and customer experience will support Apache’s integrated rental platform Present Made’s continued growth and commitment to delivering exceptional rental living whilst driving performance in its regional prime multifamily portfolio.
CBRE – Natalie Slessor will take on a newly created role as head of property management for Asia Pacific, and James King, who will succeed Slessor as head of property management for Australia & New Zealand. Slessor, who joined the firm in 2023, has over two decades of experience at leading organisations including Lendlease, Macquarie and Woods Bagot. King will assume the leadership of CBRE’s Pacific Property Management business, comprising more than 1,300 professionals in Australia and New Zealand. King, who has spent 16 years in the firm’s Pacific division, has held leadership roles overseeing some of the largest property management accounts and key operational geographies.
Blackstone Mortgage Trust – Jean Hsu has been appointed to the board of directors. Most recently, she served as head of private debt and a member of the investment office leadership team at California Public Employees’ Retirement System, until her retirement in 2024. At CalPERS, Hsu previously held several other senior roles, including managing investment director and head of opportunistic strategies, where she launched the commercial real estate lending portfolio.
JLL – Alexandra Bryant has been appointed chief executive officer of value and risk advisory, marking a pivotal step in the company’s evolution toward next-generation valuation services. With over 20 years at JLL spanning EMEA, APAC, and the Americas, Bryant brings deep expertise from her roles as global head of strategy and corporate development and global head of strategy and operations for capital markets. She will spearhead the transformation of JLL’s valuation business into a scalable, AI-enhanced solution that amplifies human expertise with real-time data insights.
Harbert Management Corporation – Florent Danset has joined the firm as a senior managing director and co-head of European real estate. Prior to joining the firm, Danset co-founded Alte, a boutique investment manager specialising in European value-add real estate, following senior investment roles at Blackstone and Partners Group. Danset will serve as co-head of European real estate alongside senior MD David King, who has been with the firm for close to 18 years.
SitusAMC – Andrew Smith has been promoted to senior director, head of operations within the company’s commercial real estate servicing and asset management division. In this role, Smith will oversee operational verticals, including loan and collateral operations, treasury functions, and credit analytics. Smith joined SitusAMC in 2020 through the acquisition of Cohen Financial and has since played a pivotal role in shaping the firm’s servicing strategy. With over 18 years of experience in third-party commercial real estate servicing, he brings deep expertise in operations, treasury, credit, and finance. Most recently, Smith led the strategic planning function within, focusing on improving data and process transparency while driving stronger financial performance across the platform.
Precede Capital Partners – John Gellatly has been appointed non-executive chairman. Gellatly succeeds Nigel Webb, who served as interim chairman following the passing of Frank Strauss in May 2024. With over four decades of experience in the real estate sector and wider investment markets, Gellatly brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role having held senior global real estate investment roles with leading investment firms, including BlackRock, Aviva Investors and, most recently, the Abu Dhabi Investment Council. Gellatly has also served on advisory panels for the Bank of England and the Property Industry Alliance. Gellatly’s experience in real estate investment, governance and strategic fundraising, combined with his extensive network of international industry contacts, will support Precede Capital’s specialist team as it continues to source, underwrite, structure and manage large-scale loans for major real estate projects.
Arbuthnot Latham – Rashid Khan-Gandapur, Richard Truett and Holly Smyth have joined the private and commercial bank’s real estate finance team. Carla Dujon and Nayan Yadav have also been promoted within the real estate finance team. Khan-Gandapur has over 30 years’ experience in residential and commercial property finance across the UK and Europe. With a track record in structuring development and investment deals. Truett brings more than 15 years of expertise in real estate and banking. His career includes senior roles at NatWest, spanning relationship management, real estate strategy, and proposition development. Holly brings analytical expertise and sector insight, shaped by her background in economics, underwriting, and portfolio management. Her recent experience at Hampshire Trust Bank, where she specialised in real estate finance, further enhances the team’s ability to support clients effectively.
Cushman & Wakefield – Sherry Freitas has been appointed president of asset services multifamily. Freitas will oversee operations across the US, leading a business of over 4,000 people who serve residential property management clients to maximise impact. She was a member of the board of directors for the Atlanta Apartment Association for 10 years, serving as board chair in 2021.
