Patrizia adds director to new Dutch business

Listed German property company Patrizia Immobilien has appointed Gaston Hupkens as director of operations and finance at its newly founded subsidiary in the Netherlands.

Expanding its Dutch office is part of Patrizia's strategy to strengthen its position as a top pan-European asset management group.

Hupkens has held various management positions in fund and investment management, at companies including Bouwfonds IM, Rabo Real Estate Group and Corio. The Dutchman has over 12 years experience in the development, structuring, placement and management of various fund investments for private and institutional investors.

'With Gaston Hupkens we bring in a wealth of experience in developing and structuring real estate investment vehicles across Europe. He will be of great value for the further development of the Dutch Patrizia platform', said Peter Helfrich, managing director of Patrizia Netherlands.

Patrizia, which recently emerged as the fastest-growing real estate investment manager in PropertyEU's ranking of Top 100 Investors in Europe, has been looking to expand its reach in Europe’s core markets for the past three years.

‘A couple of years ago we set ourselves a goal to enter five core markets in Europe - and the Netherlands is the last remaining country on that list,' Wolfgang Speckhahn, Patrizia's head of strategy and corporate development told PropertyEU in March.

During the first quarter of 2014 Patrizia poached ING REIM's managing directors in France, while last year it made an entry into the UK with the purchase of London-based real estate investment and asset management company Tamar Capital Group. The company also has a presence in Luxembourg and the Nordics, with operations in Denmark and in Sweden.

With more than 700 employees in over 10 countries, Patrizia Immobilien has been active as both an investor and service provider in European real estate for 30 years. The company is headquartered in Germany and manages €13 bn in assets, primarily as co-investor and portfolio manager for insurance companies, pension fund institutions, sovereign wealth funds and savings bank.