People moves: Vespermann to head real estate at Universal-Investment [updated]

Cluttons, Grosvenor, Cromwell Property, EY, Colliers International, CBRE, LXi REIT, Quarters Group, Urban Exposure, CBRE, Urban Land Institute, Keppel REIT, L&G, Quadrant Real Estate Advisors, Rivercrown, Kames Capital, Schroders, Universal-Investment, King & Spalding

Universal-Investment – Axel Vespermannhas been appointed to head the investment firm’s real estate arm from January next year. As managing director and member of the management board, he will report directly to CEO Michael Reinhard. Vespermann joins from JLL, where he most recently headed the Frankfurt office as regional director. At Universal-Investment, he will be responsible for the future development of the real estate business with fund initiators and institutional investors. From 2013 to 2016, as CEO/MD, Vespermann was responsible for investments, asset management and portfolio management at UBS Real Estate

Schroders – Sarah Cockburn has been appointed head of Schroder Real Estate Capital Partners. Cockburn, who joins in January, will have overall responsibility for the management and investment performance of the £4bn indirect real estate business. She will also become a member of the indirect investment committee. Cockburn spent the last 12 years at Kames Capital and PGIM, where she was most recently an executive director and member of the global management committee. Whilst at Kames, she established the Kames indirect property team, was head of unit-linked property funds, a member of the Kames global sustainability committee and managed the Aegon UK Property Fund. Before joining Kames, she managed funds for both Goodman and Aviva.

Cluttons – The property consultant has hired Eve Larard-Tansley as head of portfolio and lettings management. Larard-Tansley joins from Grosvenor where she was responsible for the estate’s Mayfair and Belgravia residential lettings portfolio. At Cluttons, Larard-Tansley takes on the newly created role, leading a nine-team which currently looks after property portfolios across London. Her remit is to build and develop the team and expand Cluttons’ portfolio management services beyond London.

Cromwell Property Group – The real estate manager has appointed Nigel Batters as chief financial officer, Europe, with effect from April 2020. Based in Amsterdam, Batters will be responsible for Cromwell’s corporate finance operations across Europe. Batters has an international background spanning more than 20 years in commercial finance and property, principally as a senior audit executive with EY UK from 2004 to 2011, as well as a stint at ABN AMRO. 

Keppel REIT – Ian Mackie has been appointed as an independent non-executive director. Mackie is chairman of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Australia. He also sits on the board of the ULI Asia Pacific Foundation and has been a ULI Global Governing Trustee since July. He was previously the international director and Asia Pacific head of strategic partnerships at LaSalle Investment Management Australia from April 2015 to December 2018, and international director and head of private equity and strategic partnerships at LaSalle Asia from January 2000 to April 2015. Mackie also served on LaSalle’s Asia Pacific investment committee from 2006 and its global investment strategy committee from 2008. He retired from LaSalle in December 2018.

Rivercrown – Charles Archer has joined the commercial real estate investment and advisory firm to lead its debt investment management team. Archer is responsible for originating, underwriting, execution and loan asset management of real estate debt opportunities in the UK and Europe. He joins as a director and will oversee the European credit opportunities vehicle alongside managing director Jacob Lyons. Archer joins from Legal & General where he worked in the real estate debt team. Prior to this, he was at AIG, where he was involved in originating, structuring and underwriting loans and commercial mortgage-backed securities in the UK and Europe. The company has also appointed Evan Goldszak associate director to join the debt team. His responsibilities will include debt origination, underwriting and advisory. Goldszak joins from Quadrant Real Estate Advisors, a US-based real estate debt investment management business.

King & Spalding – The law firm has named Julian Buchbinder and Nathan Pagett partners and promoted Natalie Gordon to counsel. Buchbinder focuses on complex commercial real estate transactions, representing financial institutions and funds in single- and multi-lender construction and permanent loans, mezzanine loans and other leveraged financings, including “loan-on-loan” transactions, on a regional and national basis. Pagett advises clients on commercial real estate finance matters, where he represents financial institutions and real estate funds in connection with single-lender as well as agented, multi-lender transactions. Gordon advises private equity clients and privately held companies on all matters related to their real estate investment business.

Colliers International – Gil Borok will become president & CEO of the real estate services firm’s US business. Borok is currently COO USA and acting leader of the US business. Prior to joining Colliers in 2017, Borok spent 15 years in a variety of leadership positions at CBRE, including CFO from 2010 to 2014.

LXi REIT – The specialist inflation-protected long income REIT has appointed Patricia Dimond as a non-executive director of the company with effect from 1 January 2020. Dimond will also be appointed as a member of the nomination, audit and management engagement committees following her appointment. Dimond’s current non-executive roles include: senior independent director, chair of audit and risk of the English National Opera.

Quarters Group – The former Medici Living Group has appointed Rui Barros as COO. Barros will work hand-in-hand with founder and CEO Gunther Schmidt, guiding the and the co-living provider in executing its next stage of growth. Prior to Quarters, Barros served as senior vice president and head of global operations for WeWork, president and managing director of EMEA and North America for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and COO of hotel group Habitas.

Urban Exposure – The specialist residential development financier and asset manager has appointed Robert Pritchard as a director in its asset management team. Pritchard will be responsible for the execution of joint venture and capital raising initiatives. He will report into CFO Sam Dobbyn. He joins from the investment advisory team of CBRE Capital Advisors. Prior to CBRE, he held several roles within the real estate team at Barclays Corporate.