Castleforge has announced the appointment of Neil Smith as Chief Financial Officer.
Smith joins Castleforge having held senior finance and operational positions at both The Carlyle Group and Bridgepoint. He joins from Invest and Fund Limited, where he was responsible for business operations and fundraising from institutional lenders.
At Bridgepoint, Smith was head of Fund Finance and Operations and led the fund operations team through a period of material AUM growth and the firm’s initial public offering. Prior to this, he was an associate vice president within the European fund’s team at The Carlyle Group.
In his new role as Chief Financial Officer at Castleforge, he will be responsible for the operational and financial management of the firm, including developing successful commercial, operational, and financial initiatives to ensure the delivery of Castleforge’s strategic objectives.
Smith will oversee all financial aspects of the business and work with senior stakeholders to accelerate growth of the business across the UK and Europe, which will include further developing Castleforge’s in-house capabilities and operating platforms.
Since its inception in 2010, Castleforge has invested around £1 bn, gaining a strong reputation for value-add investment in office, residential and hotel real estate across the UK and Europe.
Michael Kovacs, founding partner of Castleforge said: ‘Neil brings a wealth of experience not just guiding a finance function but serving as a strategic business partner. He joins Castleforge at an ideal time following our growth and expansion across the UK and Europe. We look forward to welcoming Neil to the team.’
