People moves: Stonepeak appoints Leitner senior managing director

AtNorth, Partners Group, EQT Infrastructure, Enel, GLP Capital Partners Europe, Kojamo, Stonepeak, ONE Development Corporation, Keppel, GIC, KanAm Grund, CBRE

Stonepeak – Michael Leitner has joined the firm as a senior managing director. Based in the firm’s New York office, Leitner will help lead the continued buildout of Stonepeak’s Credit investing capabilities. Leitner most recently served as co-head of BlackRock’s direct lending and special situations investment practice, and prior to its acquisition by BlackRock, Leitner was a managing partner at Tennenbaum Capital Partners. Prior to joining Tennenbaum, Leitner was an executive and manager at several technology and communication infrastructure firms including WilTel, GlobeNet, 360Networks, and Microsoft.

EQT Infrastructure – Francesco Starace has been appointed partner within the EQT Infrastructure advisory team. Starace will provide senior insight to support investment activity, portfolio companies and strategic initiatives. Starace joins from the position as CEO and general manager of Enel. Prior to becoming CEO of Enel, he headed Enel Green Power, the group’s renewable power generation company from 2008 to 2014. Starace is chairman of the Board of the United Nations’ Sustainable Energy for All, a member of the Rockefeller Commission to End Energy Poverty and, in 2015, former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed him as a member of the board of directors of the United Nations’ Global Compact.

GLP Capital Partners Europe – Ben Marks has been appointed chief financial officer. Marks assumes the role with immediate effect taking over from Shane Kelly and will report to the company’s president Nick Cook. Marks joined GLP in 2019 as group finance girector and has supported the business through a period of strong growth. Prior to joining GLP, Marks spent 15 years at The Berkeley Group where he held various senior finance roles.

CBRE – Chris Bodnar has joined the firm as leader for advisory services healthcare in the US. Based in Denver, Colorado, Bodnar returns to CBRE after founding his own private equity firm specialising in healthcare real estate. Bodnar will lead CBRE’s healthcare capital markets national practice, which provides real estate investors with acquisition, disposition and debt, and equity recapitalization strategies across the continuum of care. He previously co-founded this practice in 2006.

AtNorth – Torborg Chetkovich has joined the Nordic data centre services company’s board of directors. Chetkovich has held several senior executive management and board positions within the transport, real estate and infrastructure sector and currently holds the position of managing director, private infrastructure Europe at Partners Group. She is also a member of the board of directors of the firm’s current portfolio company Parmaco and energy infrastructure company CapeOmega. Prior to joining Partners Group, she served as partner at CapMan Infra, Group CEO of Swedavia and MTR Nordics and deputy CEO at Veolia Transport Sweden.

Keppel – Ng Kin Sze has been appointed an independent director on the board of Keppel Infrastructure Fund Management. He will also be appointed as a member of the ESG and investment committees. Ng spent over 26 years with GIC and held several senior management positions overseeing investment, strategy, portfolio management and risk management. He retired from GIC in 2013 and was a consultant to GIC from 2013 to 2016. Ng is also a member of the investment committee for Keppel Asia Infrastructure Fund. He is currently a private equity advisor to Fullerton Fund Management Company. As part of the board’s renewal, Kunnasagaran Chinniah will be stepping down from the Keppel Infrastructure Fund Management board on 30 June and will cease to be the chairman of the ESG Committee and a member of the investment committee.  Susan Chong Suk Shien, an independent director, will concurrently be appointed as the chairman of the board ESG committee in place of Chinniah. Loh Hwee Long will be appointed CEO of Keppel Data Centre REIT’s manager. Loh will replace Anthea Lee who will be leaving the company after eight years to pursue other interests. Loh has served with Keppel for more than 10 years and is currently the CIO. He will relinquish his CIO appointment when he takes over as the CEO of the manager. Before his career with Keppel, he held senior positions overseeing investments in student housing and new market development at Mapletree Investments, as well as real estate investment at GIC Real Estate.

KanAm Grund – Dimitar Dimitrov has joined the firm’s investment management Europe team as associate director. Dimitrov assumes responsibility for the group’s investment activities in the Nordics. He reports to Anthony Bull-Diamond, head of investment and asset management Europe and managing director at KanAm Grund real estate asset management. Dimitrov has over 13 years of experience in the real estate industry, which he gained in various positions at Deka Immobilien Investment. He was most recently head of UK & Ireland for various Deka and WesInvest funds. Prior to that, he was active in the Americas, UK & Ireland and also Asia-Pacific markets. 

Kojamo – Katri Harra-Salonen, a member of Kojamo’s management team since 2020, has resigned and will be leaving her current position as chief digital officer. She will continue in her position until the end of August. Tuomas Kaulio, chief technology officer, will be responsible for Kojamo’s data and technology function from 1 August 2023.

ONE Development Corporation – Bidemi Amusa has joined the firm’s advisory board. Amusa will provide strategic guidance, offering industry knowledge, and contributing to the company’s immediate and long-term growth and success.