Nick Cooper to chair new Aref investment committee

The Association of Real Estate Funds (Aref) in the UK announced on Monday that Nick Cooper is to chair a newly created investor committee. Cooper resigned as CEO of ING Real Estate Select last year and is now a principal at the Townsend Group.

Formerly the Investor Forum, the Investor Committee will act as the independent voice of investors in real estate funds and their advisers, including pension funds and their advisers, multi-managers, life companies, wealth managers and independent financial advisers.

Aref said that Cooper brings a wealth of experience to the Investor Committee, having advised pension funds on both direct and indirect property investment for over 27 years. He joined the Townsend Group, one of the largest global providers of real estate advisory and investment management services to institutional investors, as principal in May 2010.

As CEO of ING Real Estate Select, Cooper managed both European and global property funds of funds, developing the ING Real Estate Select business over 10 years. While at ING, he was also chairman of Aref from 2007 to 2009.

Commenting on the creation of the Investor Committee and Nick Cooper’s appointment, Bill Hughes, Chairman of Aref said: 'At Aref we believe it is crucial for investors' interests to be fully represented to our membership. We are formally creating an Investor Committee, with the aim of engaging more fully with investors in real estate funds.'

Aref has 69 member funds representing around £31 bn (EUR 37 bn) of NAV and includes pooled property vehicles promoted by all of the UK's leading fund managers.