REAL ESTATE - Perennial Real Estate Investments (PREI) has appointed Boudewijn van Loen as senior portfolio manager Europe.

Van Loen, will be closely working with the existing European team of Stuart Pearce and Joseph Daguio, it said.

According to Perennial, van Loen has over 12 years experience in real estate, of which 11 years in investing in listed securities.

Most recently, he spent over five years with F&C Investment as senior portfolio manager, managing both global and European real estate securities mandates, totalling €1.5bn, it added.

"His experience includes managing portfolios of direct commercial and residential properties in the Netherlands, for which he attained his Dutch Chartered Surveyor credentials."

Van Loen, commenced with PREI this month, opening Perennial’s new office in Amsterdam.

PREI, with offices in the UK, the Netherlands, the US, Hong Kong and Australia - is currently responsible for managing over €1.5bn in funds under management on behalf of its investors.

Elsewhere, ING Real Estate Investment Management (ING REIM) has named Timothy Bellman as global head of research and strategy as of 1 January.

Bellman, 44, will be responsible for a 52-member team spread over four continents.

Previously, Bellman was head of research and strategy of ING Real Estate Asia Pacific.

"During his career, he has consulted on major infrastructure projects worldwide, and on developments such as Canary Wharf and Bluewater in London, and the creation of new central business districts in Shanghai and Beijing," ING added.

Meanwhile, ING REIM announced its acquisition of three office buildings in Milan for €152m in total.

The offices (Bodio 1, 2 and 3) were bought from the German open-ended fund Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Immobilien, or DEGI. They will be added to ING Insurance’s portfolio, ING said.

The three buildings have a total lettable area of 36,000 m2, and are part of the Bodio Centre, northwest of the Milan’s central business district. They have been constructed to an above-average quality, ING indicated.

According to ING, the Bodio Centre was the first purpose-built business park within Milan’s urban perimeter. The almost 65,000 m2 complex includes an underground car park, a restaurant and fitness facilities. ING was being represented in the acquisition by Cushman & Wakefield, it said.

"The Bodio transaction takes to total acquired by ING Real Estate Investment Management Europe to over €3bn during 2006," Willian Rowson, head of acquisitions, stated.