Evans Randall, the privately held investment banking and private equity group, has appointed Simon Laker as Director, Head of Asset Management for its £5 bln. (approx. 5.2 bln.) pan-European real estate portfolio.
Laker, who was previously Director of European Asset Management at specialist property fund manager F&C REIT, brings experienced in-house capability in all aspects of property asset management to Evans Randall, enabling the company to create additional value from its portfolio of trophy investments in the UK and Continental Europe. His arrival will also allow Evans Randall to look at a wider spectrum of assets and better assess opportunities for its recently launched Mezzanine Fund.
Michael Evans, Chairman and Chief Executive of Evans Randall said: "Simon brings an additional tier of real estate expertise to Evans Randall, complementing our in-house capabilities in banking, investment, tax, finance and law. The ability to make fast, informed investment decisions gives us a competitive advantage and Simon's specialist knowledge and experience adds a new dimension to this capability."
Laker's 15-year track record in property and asset management includes posts at Hillier Parker, Nelson Bakewell and Cushman & Wakefield working across the UK and mainland Europe before moving to F&C REIT. His appointment follows Evans Randall's recruitment in July last year of the former Capmark team, headed by Andrew Haines and Sam Mellor, to launch its £500 million mezzanine and preferred equity fund and its US $500 million joint venture with National Bank of Abu Dhabi.
Source: FD
