Ares Management Corporation has hired Philip Moore, Alessandro Luca and Anisa Dudhia to expand its real estate debt presence in Europe.
The firm expects to continue adding additional professionals in the near-term.
Ares Real Estate already has a 25-year track record in European real estate equity investing and a 10-year track record in US real estate debt.
The team focuses on originating and managing commercial real estate loans through its regional networks of owner-operators, sponsors and intermediaries. It has already completed its first loan, providing €113 mln in acquisition financing for a landmark office complex in Belgium through a fund managed by the Ares Real Estate Group.
Moore joins Ares as a partner and head of the team. Prior to joining Ares, Moore was a managing director in The Carlyle Group’s flagship Credit Opportunities Fund where he headed up the real estate investment activities for that strategy across Europe and North America.
Luca joins as a principal having previously been part of Goldman Sachs’ Real Estate Finance team since 2012. Dudhia joins as a vice president and counsel in the Ares legal team from Clifford Chance, where she focused on real estate finance.
Bill Benjamin, partner and head of the Ares Real Estate Group, said: 'We are pleased to welcome Phil, Alessandro and Anisa, whose extensive experience originating and structuring CRE financing transactions in Europe provides a strong foundation for our continued expansion of the Real Estate Group.
'As we continue to grow this team, we believe our greater focus on European real estate debt complements our existing Ares Real Estate team and platform and further differentiates us in the marketplace as a comprehensive solutions provider.'
Said Moore: 'Given the strength of Ares’ European real estate and credit businesses, the team and I are pleased to join a leading global platform at this pivotal time for our industry and the evolving market landscape.
'Bolstered by Ares’ scale and collaborative approach and demonstrated by our first loan, we believe we are well-positioned to directly source loans and provide innovative financing solutions in the UK and Western Europe. Our pipeline of pending and future transactions continues to build as we seek to capitalize on the Ares platform and the robust market opportunity.'
