Harworth Group, LaSalle, AXA IM Alts, HSBC AM, DWS, Ascendas Asia Real Estate, KPMG, CBRE Capital Advisors, Segro, Savills, Knight Frank, Rubix Real Estate, Victor Harris Commercial, Invesco, UBS, AIMS APAC REIT, Morrison & Co, L&G, Orchard Street, Actis, InfraVia Capital Partners
HSBC Asset Management – The investment manager has appointed a new direct real estate team led by Victoria Sharpe, as part of the firm’s strategy to build out its alternatives business. The new team, based in Singapore, will be led by Sharpe, managing principal and head of real estate, Asia-Pacific. She joins from DWS, where she was responsible for building and leading its Asia Pacific real estate business since 2016. Prior to DWS, she spent 16 years with PGIM, the last 11 years based in Singapore, as head of real estate, Asia Pacific. Sharpe also held senior investment roles at, LaSalle Investment Management and Northern Trust, in Chicago and New York. Lionel Low and James Bartlett join as managing principals. Low joins from Ascendas Asia Real Estate Fund Management, where he held a number of positions since 2013, most recently executive director and prior to this, head of China funds. Bartlett joins from DWS, where he was real estate deputy CIO, Asia Pacific and head of real estate, Australia.
LaSalle Investment Management – The global real estate investment manager has appointed Blake Loveless as head of value-add investments. Based in London, Loveless will help manage and grow LaSalle’s newly restructured business unit targeting higher-return real estate equity investments in Europe. He will report to Michael Zerda, who is rejoining LaSalle from Blackstone later this year to oversee both debt and value-add strategies when Amy Klein Aznar transitions to the role of executive chair. Loveless brings nearly 20 years’ experience to the role, having founded Jackyl Ltd, a pan-European real estate investment manager and operating partner. Prior to this, he spent thirteen years at pan-European private equity fund manager Meyer Bergman as head of acquisitions and a member of the investment committee. Loveless will help spearhead LaSalle’s re-entry into value-add equity and special situations investment strategies.
AXA IM Alts – Philippe Grasser has been appointed managing director to lead the firm’s German business. Grasser replaces Christoph Mölleken, who has decided to retire after nearly 30 years at AXA IM Alts and will leave the company by the end of October 2021. Grasser, who brings over 30 years of pan-European real estate and corporate finance experience, will be based in Frankfurt. He will be responsible for the overall operation of the real assets business in Germany, devising and implementing the in-country strategic direction and further developing the AXA IM Alts’ platform in the market. Prior to joining AXA IM Alts, Grasser spent nearly seven years at Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, most latterly as acting head Europe real estate investments. Prior to that, he was MD of the real estate banking division at Deutsche Bank. He also spent over a decade at Morgan Stanley, rising to become MD and European co-head of the real estate investment banking division.
CBRE Capital Advisors – Tariq Hayat has been appointed senior director in the real estate investment banking team. Hayat joins from KPMG, where he has been a director in the real estate corporate finance team in London since 2016. Prior to that, he was an assistant director in The Shareholder Executive (now UK Government Investments) as well as having held M&A and corporate finance roles at Lazard and BDO. In his new role, Hayat will be responsible for originating and leading corporate finance transactions for CBRE’s operational real estate business, working across the hospitality, healthcare, senior living, education, petroleum and automotive, self-storage, co-living and student accommodation sectors to help service clients with their financing requirements.
Invesco – Maximilian Kufer has been appointed head of ESG for real assets and private alternative strategies. Based in London, he will work closely with Invesco’s global real estate and private alternatives groups to drive ESG efforts across strategies, creating and enhancing value for clients through improved ESG integration. Prior to joining Invesco, Kufer was global sustainability manager at AXA IM Alts, leading the development and integration of responsible investment for real estate, infrastructure and private debt since 2016. Kufer is an active member of industry working groups and sits on the GRESB Benchmark Committee, ULI Sustainability Council as well as the GRI ESG & Impact Investment committee. He will also lead Invesco real estate’s Global ESG+R Committee.
Morrison & Co – The global infrastructure investor has appointed Perry Offutt as head of North America. Offutt joins Morrison & Co from UBS Asset Management, where he most recently held the role of MD, head of infrastructure Americas. Prior to this, he worked at Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets where he was MD on the North American investment team and at Morgan Stanley, where he was head of infrastructure banking for the Americas.
Orchard Street Investment Management – The specialist commercial property investment manager has appointed Josh Quinton-Smith as asset manager. Quinton-Smith will help create and implement business plans, manage tenants and ESG initiatives, and drive performance. He joins the business from Legal & General, where he worked as a senior asset manager on Legal & General’s £3.1 bn managed property fund.
Actis – The global sustainable infrastructure investor has appointed Charles Daulon du Laurens as head of EMEA within its investor development group. Daulon du Laurens is based within continental Europe and he will lead fundraising and investor relations activities across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Before joining Actis, he was head of investor relations for InfraVia Capital Partners and has held similar roles with AXA IM – Real Assets Management, and Idinvest Partners. Prior to those posts, Charles worked in banking for Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, and UBS.
Harworth Group – Andrew Blackshaw has been appointed COO and Jonathan Haigh has been appointed to the newly created role of CIO. Ian Ball, who joined Harworth in 2014 and was appointed COO in 2019, had previously advised management of his intention to leave the business at the end of January next year. Blackshaw joined Harworth in January this year as interim director of corporate strategy. In his new role, Blackshaw will be focused on the implementation of the group’s strategic plan, working with Harworth’s regional directors to bring forward sites including direct development, the delivery of new products and partnerships, as well as ensuring that the business has the necessary skills to grow. Most recently, Blackshaw was MD of Manchester Airport Group Investment Assets Limited. He previously held senior roles at Deloitte and PwC where he provided strategic, restructuring, and transactional advice to real estate businesses. Haigh has been supporting Harworth as a consultant for the last six months, and in his role as CIO, he will oversee Harworth’s income generation portfolio, as well as strategic acquisitions and direct development, and will provide technical, commercial and natural resources expertise to the regional teams. Haigh joined Harworth from MAG Property, where as MD he led the development side of that business and associated transactions across the MAG Group. He previously led a team at PwC responsible for devising and executing work-out strategies and loan book trading. Prior to that he worked for Ballymore, where he led the investment and development activity for numerous large-scale and market-leading schemes.
AIMS APAC REIT – Russell Ng has been appointed CEO-designate following the resignation of Koh Wee Lih as executive director and CEO. Ng will move into the CEO role after Koh’s resignation takes effect on 28 November. Previously the firm’s head of investor relations, investments and partnerships, Ng will be responsible for overall planning, management and operation of the trust.
Segro – Bonnie Minshull will be joining the UK real estate investment trust as director, Greater London, and Patrick Batten has been promoted from within the company to city logistics director. In her new role at Segro, Minshull will focus on targeting new business in the north, east and south of London to deliver the company’s ambitious growth plans, as well as enhancing the development pipeline in these areas. She joins from Savills where she was a director within the national industrial and logistics team responsible for negotiating acquisitions and disposals, providing development consultancy advice and business generation. Prior to Savills, Minshull held positions at commercial real estate services firm, DTZ, and property consultancy, King Sturge. Batten joined Segro in 2012 and has held several positions across asset management, investment and development in the Southern Europe and Greater London markets. In his new role he will focus on growth within the attractive Inner London markets, where land and development opportunities are particularly competitive, with a view to helping customers meet their own requirements to be closer to consumers and expanding Segro’s offering in this space.
Knight Frank – Wumi Eyiangho and Oliver Levesley have joined the global property consultancy’s flexible office solutions team, to advise clients on their office requirements as hybrid working continues to reshape workplace strategies. They will work closely with Amanda Lim, head of flexible office solutions, and Richard Proctor, head of London tenant representation, to help clients identify the flexible office spaces best suited to their requirements. Eyiangho joins from Rubix Real Estate, where he worked as a senior tenant representative with a focus on flexible leasing. Prior to this, he spent two years with Colliers as a serviced office broker where he was responsible for advising tenants on flexible and serviced office solutions. Levesley joins from Victor Harris Commercial, where he was a senior agent specialising in the acquisition of flexible office space. Before this, he worked on acquisitions and disposals of West End and City offices for SHB10 limited.
