Walker & Dunlop, the commercial real estate finance and advisory services firm, has expanded its London-based Europe, the Middle East and Africa office by hiring Aaron Knight to senior managing director, co-head of capital markets.
The company said Knight will focus on sourcing debt and equity capital on behalf of clients throughout Europe and across asset classes, including build-to-rent, purpose-built student accommodation, logistics, office, retail, and alternatives such as life sciences, self-storage, and data centres.
He brings more than 20 years of experience in originating, structuring, and advising on commercial real estate debt products to Walker & Dunlop, a firm based near Washington, D.C., and led by Chairman and CEO Willy Walker.
"We are thrilled to have Aaron join our leadership team, bringing exceptional expertise and cross-regional experience that will enhance our structured debt and equity advisory," said Claudio Sgobba, senior managing director and co-head of capital markets, EMEA.
"Aaron will be instrumental in driving growth and creating new opportunities for our clients and business across the region," he added.
Prior to joining Walker & Dunlop, Knight was a director of debt and structured finance at JLL, where he was part of the international capital markets team. Before that, he was an executive director at PGIM Real Estate and was responsible for European debt origination.
Knight earned his bachelor’s degrees in commerce and economics from the Australian National University. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
He said: "It is an exciting time to be aligned with an institution of Walker & Dunlop’s calibre. The European market continues to evolve, with an increasingly diverse range of lenders and capital providers active across asset classes and jurisdictions.
"Walker & Dunlop has acknowledged this from the outset, committing the resources necessary to grow the capital markets business."
Walker & Dunlop established its capital markets, EMEA operations earlier this year and has recruited eight professionals in its first six months, including Javier Villanueva (managing director) and Patrick Smith (director), who both join the EMEA capital markets team.