The Blackstone Group, the world’s largest private equity real estate firm, was by far the biggest winner in PERE Awards 2014, which attracted more than 50,000 votes from the industry and included a record 45 categories. The firm scooped up a whopping 10 awards across a number of global, regional and country-specific categories – four more than last year and the most number of wins by any single firm in the history of the PERE Awards.
Blackstone received the top honors for global firm of the year, and global deal of the year, for its $8.1 billion sale of its IndCor Properties business to GIC Private Limited and Global Logistic Properties (GLP). Its head of real estate, Jonathan Gray, also won for global industry figure of the year.
The New York-based company also snagged the titles of firm of the year in Asia, Europe, Australia, Japan and Southern Europe, as well as NPL investor of the year. Additionally, its IndCor deal also was chosen by readers as North American deal of the year.
Interestingly, most of the other recipients of multiple awards – GIC, Gaw Capital Partners, and GLP – were Asia-based. Bestowed with three major awards, GIC was the largest winner after Blackstone, and picked up the prizes for institutional investor of the year in both Asia and Europe, as well as Asia industry figure of the year, for head of real estate Goh Kok Huat.
Gaw received two wins, for firm of the year in China and for Asia deal of the year, for its purchase of Pacific Century Place in Beijing from Pacific Century Premium Developments for $928 million. GLP was another dual winner, honored both for Asia capital raise of the year and Latin America firm of the year. The sole European multiple winner was Deutsche Bank, which won for European debt provider of the year, while its asset and wealth management division prevailed as firm of the year in Germany.
While most of the above winners have been repeat recipients of PERE Awards, this year’s awards also saw a number of new faces, particularly through the new country-specific categories that were created as part of this year’s awards. Indeed, one goal in including these new categories this year was to highlight more local firms that have excelled within their specific investment scope. For example, Piramal was honored as firm of the year in India, while NREP won the Nordic version of the same title.
Meanwhile, newcomer Mack Real Estate Group – which entered the fund management business last year with the launch of a new real estate debt platform – made a strong showing with its first PERE Awards win, snagging the title of North American industry figure for co-founder Richard Mack.
Click HERE to read our full coverage, which details which fund managers, investors, advisors and transactions took top honors and why.
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