BNP Paribas Real Estate, JLL, Vicinity Centres, QIC Global Real Estate, Stenprop, Zoopla, AIIM, Eagle Africa Capital, Cording, Corpus Sireo, DWS, Principal Real Estate Europe, Apleona GVA Argoneo

QIC Global Real Estate – Michael O’Brien has succeeded Steve Leigh as managing director. O’Brien is currently CFO of Vicinity Centres, Australia’s second-largest listed manager of retail property. Before joining Vicinity, O’Brien held senior investment and operational roles with GPT Group and Lend Lease Corporation. At QIC, O’Brien will serve on the executive committee, and lead a team of more than 500 people globally, managing 50 assets valued at AUD22.4bn. Leigh, who helped create QIC RE in 1991, resigned last November.

JLL – Greg Childs has been appointed executive vice president to lead the property services firm’s hotels advisory business EMEA. Childs joins from BNP Paribas Real Estate, where he was part of the alternative markets team specialising in hotels and serviced apartments. Childs previously worked at JLL’s hotels and hospitality arm from 2003 to 2006. Matthew Cohan has joined as EMEA chief digital product officer. In this new London-based role, Cohan will support JLL’s digital strategy and will also oversee delivery of innovative technology-led solutions to enhance clients’ real estate related experience. He joins JLL from Zoopla Property Group, where he was chief product officer.

African Infrastructure Investment Managers – Wanjiku Mugane has been appointed senior advisor in Kenya. Wanjiku will be working with the AIIM investment team, delivering market insights and supporting the deal pipeline. Wanjiku is co-founder and executive director of Eagle Africa Capital Partners, a corporate finance advisory and patient capital investing firm. Prior to this, She was the East Africa CEO of Standard Chartered Securities and co-founder of First Africa Group.

Cording Real Estate Group – Alfred Garbe has been appointed to lead the company’s German business. In this newly-created head of Germany position, Garbe will help to further expansion of Cording’s German business. Prior to joining Cording, Garbe was a director and head of logistics at Corpus Sireo. He also previously worked as co-head of asset management at M7 Real Estate and head of asset management in Germany at Hansteen.

Stenprop – Patsy Watson, the UK multi-let industrial property investor’s CFO, plans to retire this year. Watson will remain in her role until a successor is in place. She began working with the company’s CEO, Paul Arenson, in 2007 when she joined Stenham Property as finance director, culminating in the Stenprop listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 2014 and on the London Stock Exchange in June 2018.

Principal Real Estate Europe – André Weitkamp has been appointed head of asset management in Germany. In this newly created role, he is responsible for the management of all portfolio properties and client instructions in Germany. Weitkamp joins from Apleona GVA Argoneo, where he headed the Hamburg branch. He previously held positions at Bilfinger Real Estate, Morgan Stanley Properties and Deka Immobilien Investment.

DWS – Clemens Schaefer is taking over from Georg Allendorf as DWS Group’s Europe head of real estate. Schaefer will assume the role in July from Allendorf, who has led the Europe real estate team since 2014. Schaefer joined the DWS real estate business in 1998 and was appointed CIO and head of portfolio management for European real estate in 2016. Before that, he was the head of the institutional business for real estate in Europe. Allendorf will continue to provide his expertise to the Europe real estate platform. He joined the supervisory board of DWS Grundbesitz and DWS Alternatives this month and will continue to serve in that function even after his departure as a board member of DWS Real Estate in June.

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