Pan-European private equity real estate investor Deutsche Finance International (DFI) has appointed Magdalena Pujdak to the newly created role of director – capital markets.
Joining from Greystar Europe, Pujdak will support DFI’s product development, project management, distribution and investor relations activities.
With its successful inaugural fund, DFI European Value-Add Fund - which closed in July 2019 having raised €800 mln of equity - nearing full deployment and on target to meet its return objectives, DFI is now exploring options for bringing forward new value add strategies.
Frank RoccoGrande, co-founder and co-managing partner at DFI said: 'Magdalena joins us at an opportune time in our growth as we near the point where our first fund is fully deployed. New product development, capital raising and effective investor relations are key areas of our business and fundamental to both our ability to grow and to providing the best possible service and solutions to our clients.
'It is crucial for us that we are able to attract high quality people who have the experience, expertise and drive to both lead and support our ambitions, while at the same time put us in a strong position to take advantage of opportunities in the current market.'
Pujdak has over 12 years of experience in private equity real estate investment including, most recently, at Greystar Europe where she was a director within portfolio management responsible for capital partner relationships. Prior to that, she spent almost six years at Tristan Capital Partners where she rose through the company to the position of a director within the acquisitions team.
From 2009 to 2013 she was an analyst and associate at Mountgrange Investment Management/ Clearbell Capital assisting with acquisitions and joint venture management.
Pujdak’s appointment is the seventh new hire DFI has made within the last 12 months and brings the size of its team to 20 in total. Since 2017, DFI has committed to over €2 bn of value add and select opportunistic investments across six markets in Europe, including London’s Olympia Exhibition Centre.
Pujdak said: 'DFI is a highly ambitious business where my experience can play a decisive role in helping achieve its goals. The real estate sector finds itself at an interesting juncture, with what continues to be a challenging and uncertain market leading to opportunities for those that are able to act quickly and entrepreneurially.
'I therefore look forward to coupling my experience with the skills of the team at DFI to identify those areas where we can create value on behalf of our investor base.'
