Investor-developer Round Hill Capital has appointed Brian Welsh as chief executive of the Nido Collection, the group’s UK, Ireland and Continental European student accommodation investment and operational platform and brand.
Welsh will lead Nido's continuing expansion as well as explore the extension of the platform into alternative asset classes.
'Brian will help to drive the growth and deliver on our aim to own, develop and operate at least 20,000 beds within three years across the UK, Ireland and Continental Europe,' commented Michael Bickford, founder and CEO of Round Hill Capital. 'Coupled with our ambitions to expand into wider international markets, this will make Round Hill one of the largest global developers and operators of student accommodation.'
Welsh has over 12 years’ experience of the student accommodation and PRS markets across the UK and Europe, including roles at The Student Housing Company Ltd and its development arm ThreeSixtyDevelopments, as well as at Liberty Living. He will be based at the Group’s offices in London, UK.
Round Hill said it had funding already in place to support the delivery of its identified pipeline of over 5,000 beds across the UK and Ireland, Portugal, the Netherlands and Spain. Its approach incorporates multiple strategies, such as acquiring existing assets, developing new purpose-built assets, forward-purchasing assets and repositioning non-student assets.
In 2015, Round Hill sold 2,378 beds to Greystar Real Estate Advisers in 2015 for £600 mln (€847 mln).
'The increasing demand for good quality, well-located student housing in prime university cities and towns across the UK, Europe and other select international destinations combined with the persisting structural supply constraints, continues to provide Round Hill with attractive investment and development opportunities,' Bickford concluded.
