BNP Paribas Real Estate Recruits Gerardine Davies as Head of Investment Management in the UK

London, United Kingdom, February 15, 2012 --(PR.com)-- BNP Paribas Real Estate has appointed Gerardine Davies as head of UK investment management. The move is part of the leading international real estate adviser’s strategy to boost its transactional business and build on the international reach of the investment management team.

BNP Paribas Real Estate is one of the 15 largest Investment Management businesses in Europe with €12 billion assets under management, 68,000 private investors and 50 pooled funds based mainly in Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the UK.

Gerardine comments: "BNP Paribas Real Estate is internationally renowned for its fund management capabilities and we are keen to expand and enhance the UK investment management business alongside this through new mandates, products and recruitment."

Mark England, CEO of BNPPRE UK comments: "Investment Management is essential to our business and is a key part of our plan to boost our transactional business. Gerardine is our first senior recruit of 2012 and we are currently working on a number of others, in line with our strategy to grow profitable areas of the business."

Gerardine’s appointment follows recent successes including a $300m mandate from Saudi Arabian investors Manafea to buy prime office properties, and the first purchase on their behalf in the City in December – the £80m 3 Bunhill Row office development.

Gerardine was previously at Aegon Asset Management where she developed its property fund management business. Prior to that Gerardine was Head of Retail Property Funds at Morley Fund Management where she successfully led the Norwich Property Trust and increased "man on the street" investment from £380m to £5bn during the six years she worked there.

Previous roles include senior property investment manager at Hermes where she acquired the £4 billion listed property company MEPC and did extensive work on behalf of the BT and Post Office pension schemes. Prior to working at Hermes, Gerardine was a fund manager at NPI.

###