Primonial, Sedco Capital, CBRE, INREV, Fidelity International, Gecina, CTO Realty Growth, Hutton, ULI, Greystar, Pembroke, DFI, Neinor Homes, CPP Investments, CREFC Europe, Mileway, Patrizia, EPRA
Mileway – Kevin Muscat has joined the pan-European last-mile logistics real estate company as head of transactions. Muscat, who joins on 1 October, will be responsible for acquisitions at Mileway and is set to play a key role as the company continues its expansion across Europe. Muscat most recently served as MD at Patrizia, co-heading its cross-border transactions team. He previously spent over twelve years at Rockspring Property Investment Managers, prior to its merger with Patrizia, as associate partner in European transactions/fund management. Earlier in his career, he held roles with Dawnay Day Panterra, Curzon Global Partners and Morgan Stanley.
Patrizia – Phil Irons has been appointed MD of transactions UK and Ireland. He joins Patrizia from IWG where he was CEO of Workplace Capital Partners, the company’s flexible workspace property investment fund. Prior to this, he was a partner at Benson Elliot, responsible for the UK country team.
Pembroke – The real estate firm has appointed Matthew Knight to the new position of VP for European Development. Knight, who has relocated from Australia where he held the post of VP and head of Australia for Pembroke, will now head up a development team to oversee Pembroke’s development and capital projects in the UK, Germany and the Nordics.
CBRE – The global real estate advisor has appointed Kaela Fenn-Smith as head of UK advisory and transaction investor services and a member of its UK executive committee with effect from 1 November. In this new role, Fenn-Smith will partner with CBRE’s investor leasing leaders and other experts across all sectors and geographies in the UK, and across its wider global platform, to develop and enhance the company’s services offer in the UK. Fenn-Smith was most recently head of commercial and a member of the London executive committee at LandSec. Prior to LandSec, she spent six years in office agency at JLL in London focused on large scale office developments, having started her career with CBRE in Canada leasing retail warehouse parks and shopping centres.
INREV – The European association for investors in non-listed real estate vehicles has appointed Iryna Pylypchuk as the new director of research and market information. Pylypchuk replaces Henri Vuong, who is leaving INREV at the end of September after six years at the helm of the association’s research and market information team to take up a new global role based in London. Pylypchuk joins from Fidelity International, where she spent over four years as a senior market analyst. Prior to this, Pylypchuk spent over a decade as director of EMEA and subsequently global research at CBRE.
Primonial – The asset manager has appointed Fabrizio Bonavita real estate director for the group’s €700m asset management activity in Italy. He will be responsible for identifying new investment opportunities in Italy, to support the group’s European real estate development and its strong growth ambitions, especially in the healthcare, education and residential real estate sectors. Bonavita was VP of Sedco Capital, a position which he assumed in 2017. He previously spent 9 years at AIG Global Real Estate in London. Bonavita started his career in 2001 in Milan before joining BNP Paribas Investment Banking in Paris and then Cushman & Wakefield in London.
EPRA – Méka Brunel, CEO of Gecina, has been appointed to take over the chair of the listed real estate industry trade body. Brunel, who takes over from Vonovia’s Rolf Buch, has been a member of the EPRA board for the past three years. She will use her role to bring an increased focus on sustainability and diversity and inclusion initiatives to the European property industry.
Deutsche Finance International – The €2.4bn pan-European private equity real estate investor has appointed Juan Gomez Vega as investment director, Southern Europe. The firm has opened a new office in Madrid and created the new role to facilitate the further growth of its activity across the region. Vega, who will run the new Madrid office, joins DFI after almost four years at Neinor Homes, where he was chief capital markets officer. He was formerly a director at Lone Star Spain and CEO of Vilamoura World, a residential development opportunity in Portugal owned by Lone Star funds. He also spent four years working in London with Deutsche Bank-RREEF, in a role that included acquisitions/disposals, asset management and debt restructuring.
Gecina – Amaury Blaire has been promoted from his current position as risk and compliance director to be portfolio director with the group’s residential division. Blaire joined Gecina in 2010 as a mission manager with internal audit, before being appointed as risk and compliance director in 2018. He began his career in 2005 as a financial auditor with Deloitte then PwC.
CREFC Europe – Jessica Tomlinson has been named the commercial real estate finance council’s new chair-elect at its AGM. Tomlinson Head of Real Estate, London at Barclays Bank will become chair in September 2021, having served on the board of directors since 2018. Due to exceptional market and economic conditions and ongoing wider policy work within the organisation, the board also asked the current leadership team to serve another 12 months before Tomlinson steps into the role. Emma Huepfl of CBRE Global Investors agreed to continue as chair of the association for a second year, supported by Barry Fowler of Aviva Investors as immediate past Chair. Members also elected three new directors: Chris Bennett of Deka Bank; Arron Taggart of Cheyne Capital; and Nassar Hussain of Brookland, each agreeing to serve three-year terms.
CPP Investments – Deborah Orida is taking over the role of head of real assets at CPP Investments, replacing Edwin Cass who has taken on the newly created role of chief investment officer. Orida, a senior managing director, was most recently global head of active equities and joined CPP Investments in 2009. Cass had had previously been chief investment strategist from 2014 to 2017 before heading up real assets. The internal moves are part of efforts to strengthen investment governance as the Canadian pension fund grows in size.
CTO Realty Growth – The Florida-based real estate firm has appointed Matthew M Partridge senior VP and CFO. In addition to his position at CTO, Partridge will also serve as senior VP, CFO and Treasurer of Alpine Income Property Trust, a single- tenant net lease REIT externally managed by CTO. Partridge was most recently the COO and CFO of private commercial real estate investment firm Hutton. Prior to Hutton, Partridge served as executive VP, CFO and secretary of Agree Realty Corporation and prior to Agree, he was VP of finance for Pebblebrook Hotel Trust.
ULI – The Urban Land Institute has appointed Sarah Musgrove as its new UK executive director. Musgrove joins from the build-to-rent developer and operator Greystar, where she worked as a senior director.
