London, United Kingdom: Affinius Capital has appointed David Diez as Managing Director within its Global Investors Group, where he will lead investor engagement across Europe and support capital raising activities. He will work closely with the firm’s broader Global Investors Group and European team, and will also support relationships with Affinius Capital’s global investors that maintain a significant presence in the region. The hire expands the integrated institutional real estate investment firm’s investor coverage across Europe at a time when competition for institutional capital is intensifying.
The appointment is a deliberate investment in relationships. “David brings extensive experience across capital markets and private capital advisory, along with deep institutional relationships throughout Europe. His understanding of the European investor landscape, coupled with his experience developing and executing capital solutions across a range of private market strategies, will be highly valuable as we continue to deepen our relationships with investors across the region and globally,” said Fergal Harris, Head of EMEA and APAC for Affinius Capital’s Global Investors Group.
Diez brings more than 15 years of experience in capital markets, fundraising and private capital advisory across real estate, infrastructure and private credit, with a particular focus on institutional investor relationships across Europe and the Middle East. Most recently, he served with the Private Funds Group at CBRE Investment Banking, formerly Sera Global, the third-party capital raising and advisory business of Brookfield, where he advised investment managers globally on fundraising and bespoke capital solutions. He began his career in debt capital markets at BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking before moving into private capital placement and advisory roles at Threadmark and ALTTARO Capital Advisors. He holds a degree from the University of Exeter and is bilingual in English and Spanish.
There is also a personal link to the firm’s history. During his time at Threadmark, Diez worked with Square Mile Capital, one of Affinius Capital’s predecessor firms, on the Square Mile Credit Partners II fundraise. “Affinius Capital is a firm I have followed for many years and having worked with Square Mile earlier in my career, I have long admired the platform and the people behind it. I am excited to join the team and look forward to building on the firm’s relationships across Europe while helping connect investors with the breadth of opportunities across the Affinius platform,” said David Diez.
For investors and developers, the less obvious point is what a dedicated European hire says about where real estate capital is now being sourced. Large US managers are no longer treating European and Middle Eastern institutions as occasional co-investors but as core fundraising constituencies that expect local, relationship-led coverage. Managers that can offer both equity and credit solutions across North America and Europe are well placed to win those allocations, particularly as investors seek diversification and income. For European developers and sponsors, deeper transatlantic investor networks can also mean more potential partners for joint ventures and structured capital, even when the headline hire sits on the fundraising side.
Affinius Capital is an integrated institutional real estate investment firm focused on value creation and income generation. With a track record of more than 40 years and approximately €55bn in gross assets under management, it holds a diversified portfolio across North America and Europe, providing both equity and credit solutions to its partners and on behalf of its institutional clients globally.
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People and companies mentioned
People
- David Diez, Managing Director, Global Investors Group, Affinius Capital
- Fergal Harris, Head of EMEA and APAC, Global Investors Group, Affinius Capital
Companies
- Affinius Capital, integrated institutional real estate investment firm; over 40-year track record; approximately €55bn in gross assets under management; portfolio across North America and Europe; employer of David Diez
- CBRE, global real estate services firm; its Investment Banking Private Funds Group, formerly Sera Global, was David Diez’s most recent employer
- Brookfield, global alternative asset manager; former owner of Sera Global, its third-party capital raising and advisory business
- BBVA, Spanish banking group; David Diez began his career in debt capital markets at BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking
- Threadmark, private capital placement and advisory firm; former employer of David Diez
- ALTTARO, ALTTARO Capital Advisors, private capital advisory firm; former employer of David Diez
- Square Mile Capital, predecessor firm of Affinius Capital; client of David Diez at Threadmark on the Square Mile Credit Partners II fundraise
- University of Exeter, UK university; David Diez’s alma mater
