Orchard Street Investment Management has appointed Mark Long as head of strategy.

The UK-focused real estate investment manager said Long will lead Orchard Street’s research, forecasting and strategy team.

Long joins Orchard Street with over 26 years of experience in real estate research and strategy, and for the past five years was head of real assets research and strategy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at BlackRock.

He previously held senior posts in real estate research and strategy including at Aberdeen Asset Management and Invista Real Estate Investment Management, now part of Palmer Capital.

Philip Gadsden, managing partner at Orchard Street, said: “Mark’s wide experience in real estate investment has earned him a first-class reputation and an impressive contact base.”