The Association of Real Estate Funds (AREF) has appointed two new directors to join its board with immediate effect.
The Association of Real Estate Funds (AREF) has appointed two new directors to join its board with immediate effect.
Paul Richards, head of the European Real Estate Boutique at Mercer, and Nick Thompson who retired from Prudential as head of fund and investment management in 2004 and is now a non-executive director with a number of companies, will be the first external directors to join AREF’s board.
Richards was previously head of indirect real estate investment and global managed accounts at LaSalle Investment Management, where he was responsible for managing global portfolios of unlisted real estate funds for clients from Europe and Asia Pacific.
He has over 25 years of real estate experience in investment, corporate finance and research, and has advised investors, occupiers and venture capital companies on property portfolio strategy and on financial structuring, including PFI, senior and mezzanine debt and joint venture arrangements.
Following his retirement, Thompson has held a variety of property investment-related roles which currently include chairman of Picton Property Income (formerly the ING Real Estate Income Trust), director of the Lend Lease Retail Partnership and chairman of IPD’s UK & Ireland Consultative Group.