Delancey sets up specialist real estate credit strategy; KSP adds investment director; Newmark hires partners

Delancey, the UK-focused property and real estate infrastructure asset and investment manager founded by Jamie Ritblat in the 90s, has set up a specialist real estate credit strategy.

The firm said the strategy, known as AlbionArc Capital, will be sector-agnostic, targeting transitional and bridge situations, "with an emphasis on high quality sponsors and liquid assets". It also labelled the strategy "well-capitalised", while it has identified a pipeline of opportunities.

Delancey also appointed Lesley Davison as managing director of capital markets this month, explaining that she will have a particular focus on the firm’s credit and debt strategies.

Davison will rejoin the business next month, having previously spent 14 years as director of banking and treasury, managing all third-party financing, banking and treasury functions and relationships.

Industrial and logistics property developer KSP has appointed Mark Krol as executive director, investment management, who joins from global real assets investor Patrizia after more than seven years. Krol held a senior role at his last firm, overseeing and expanding the GLi investment platform, a joint venture between KSP and Patrizia, developing new sustainable warehouses in London. He has around two decades of sector experience and has worked across fund management, including circa €2 billion of European value-add funds, in the UK and Europe. Before Patrizia, he spent two years at Prologis in Amsterdam and two at JLL in London.

Newmark has added four residential experts to its UK valuation business, including Lindsey Lock, who joins as a partner alongside Dan Scott. The firm said that the duo will focus on the Home Counties, Eastern Region, London fringe and South Midlands, "supporting demand for valuation advice across the living sectors, development markets and commercial investment". Laura Wheatley, joining the firm as an associate, and Oliver Light, who enters as a surveyor, complete the rest of the hires, which will "further regional coverage and improve its residential and living-sector capabilities". They follow recent hires in retail and central London valuation.

Hines has appointed Brendan O’Regan head of investment for Ireland. The recruit has more than 25 years of experience in real estate investment and fund management, including his most recent role at Irish Life Investment Managers, where he was head of property funds, responsible for the firm’s real estate investment strategies.

His experience also includes senior roles in the National Treasury Management Agency, where he stayed for a decade, AIB, Savills and JLL. Hines, which opened in Ireland in 2011, says O'Regan's appointment "signals the firm’s continued focus on leveraging its global expertise to unlock value in Ireland’s evolving real estate landscape".

Bidwells has appointed Jamie Renison as head of new business for its commercial agency team based in Oxford. He joins from Cushman & Wakefield, where he led the science and technology team across the Golden Triangle, and has more than 25 years’ experience. His experience spans significant schemes including The Oxford Science Park, Breakthrough Properties’ Vitrum in Cambridge, and Kadans and Canary Wharf Group’s One North Quay. He will work closely with Duncan May, partner in business space agency, and others in Bidwells’ established commercial agency, with a focus on strengthening the firm’s offer to clients across the region.

Knight Frank has opened a luxury residential real estate department, led by Alison Ashby. She has 15 years of experience and was director of Junot Fine Properties for more than eight years. The firm said its new team, initially located at the headquarters of Knight Frank France at Place Vendôme in Paris, will work in close collaboration with the other divisions of the firm. It will provide an exclusive selection of luxury real estate in Paris, such as penthouses, mansions and “branded residences,” to a private clientele with large fortunes. It follows the end of the partnership between Knight Frank and Junot Fine Properties on the Parisian market for premium properties.

Airbnb has recruited Lisa Marçais as general manager for Northern Europe and MEA. She will be responsible for overseeing the region including, UK, Ireland, the Nordics, and Middle East and Africa, growing the business and managing its property hosts and guests. Prior to starting in the firm's London offices earlier this year, Marçais led eBay’s private seller business for the UK and has previously worked at Asos as the country manager for Southern Europe. Emmanuel Marill, managing director, EMEA and ANZ, Airbnb, said: "Lisa brings deep experience and strong leadership skills to help this important region continue to scale and expand."