Apache Capital, a UK real estate investment manager focused on the living sector, has appointed Scott Berry to the newly-created role of chief finance officer (CFO).
Apache’s Claire Ezekwe and Andy Hill have also been promoted to director positions.
Berry joins Apache after almost six years at Watkin Jones and its third-party operational management business, Fresh Property Group, where he was commercial finance director.
Across both roles, Berry was responsible for the management of over 20,000 units across the build-to-rent and student accommodation sectors.
Berry’s 20+ years in finance has also included CFO positions at Northstar Asset Management, helping to launch the European business, and Fortress Investment Group, where he managed the finance teams in London, Frankfurt and Luxembourg for their Eurocastle investment vehicle.
He will report to Chairman Mervyn Howard and co-founder and CEO John Dunkerley, overseeing finance activities including tax planning, financial reporting and budget management; and contribute to the development of Apache’s internal operational platform.
He will also support relations with Apache’s investors across multi-family build-to-rent – where it has a joint venture with Moda – and single-family housing, through its wholly-owned single-family housing platform Present Made. Investors currently include Harrison Street, NFU Mutual, KKR and Nuveen Real Estate.
Said Dunkerley: 'Scott brings with him incredible experience from the worlds of operational real estate and institutional investment. As the UK living sectors mature, we see 'in-sourced' operational excellence as being a key differentiator for investment managers, and Scott will help us bolster our operational capabilities as we look to scale our multi- and single-family build-to-rent strategies.'
Added Berry: 'Apache Capital’s market-leading position was a big pull factor for me, with the business having a proven track record in assembling best-in-class portfolios that are underpinned by solid operations.
'We share the view that build-to-rent is still in the early days of the journey to becoming a mature, mainstream institutional asset class like purpose-built student accommodation, and that managers with genuine operational know-how and experience will stand to benefit from the sector's growth.'
Andy Hill, who joined Apache in 2021, has been promoted from director, investment mangement, to director of multi-family housing.
Hill will work closely with investment director Ashley Perry to expand the company’s multi-family strategies, which currently includes a prime multi-family venture with developer-Moda that manages one of the UK’s largest operational BTR portfolios, with over 3,000 completed apartments across six developments.
Claire Ezekwe has been appointed as Apache’s new director for transactions & structuring.
Ezekwe will be responsible for providing legal expertise across multi-family and single-family strategies.
Mervyn Howard, executive chairman, Apache Capital, said: 'Hiring external talent while also nurturing that within our business will be critical to realising our mission of being the go-to partner for institutional capital looking to access the UK living sectors.
'We are pleased to have someone of Scott's calibre join us, and also see the progress of Andy and Claire, who have both played crucial roles in our growth to date.'
