CREFC Europe has announced a new chair elect at its annual general meeting, with the appointment of Chris Bennett of DekaBank.
'The pandemic has underscored the value of an effective representative body who is part of relevant conversations, and able to disseminate new information to its members,' commented Bennett, managing director and head of the London branch of DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale.
'CREFC Europe continues to facilitate these roles in addition to providing educational, training and networking opportunities. As our industry continues to adapt to the ongoing challenges caused by the pandemic and the increased focus on achieving ESG objectives, I am very proud to be appointed as chair elect and hope to provide leadership and support to the board and its executives.'
In addition, a number of board changes were announced. Jessica Tomlinson of Barclays Bank on Thursday took over as chair from Emma Huepfl of CBRE Global Investors, who becomes immediate past chair. Barry Fowler of Aviva Investors has retired from the board after four years, including a term as chair. Also leaving the board are Jean-Maurice Elkouby of ING, Kumaresh Thiru of Morgan Stanley (each after completing a three year term) and Madeleine McDougall of Lloyds (after six years on the board, including a year as chair).
Members elected two new directors to the board: Manja Stueck of BentallGreenOak and Sharon Quinlan of HSBC Bank, each agreeing to serve three-year terms.
The Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC) Europe is the trade association for commercial real estate (CRE) finance in Europe. It is a non-profit membership association with around 135 corporate members representing a diverse range of institutions, but also advisory businesses supporting the market and investors in both real estate and real estate debt.
