CBRE GI names Europe CIO

Sophie van Oosterom has been promoted from her role as the head of special programmes EMEA at the real estate investment management giant.

Los Angeles-based real estate investment management giant CBRE Global Investors has appointed Sophie van Oosterom as chief investment officer (CIO) and chair of the firm’s EMEA executive committee.

van Oosterom, who joined CBRE Global Investors only 18 months ago, worked as the head of special programmes EMEA, leading the fund management team in the region. She was also instrumental in the restructuring of the real estate giant’s €2 billion Dutch Office Fund as well the restructuring and re-launch of its European Industrial Fund.

In her new role, Van Oosterom will focus on investment strategy, investment underwriting and performance management in EMEA.

“Sophie’s leadership and strategic vision has secured the confidence of existing and new investors for the future of a number of our investment programs and has firmly established her credentials to take on the demands of the CIO EMEA role,” said Pieter Hendrikse, chief executive of CBRE Global Investors EMEA, in a statement.

The CIO role effectively became available at CBRE Global Investors’ late last year when Will Rowson left the firm to become a partner at Hodes Weill & Associates, the New York-based capital advisory firm. The move was a rare example of a principal investment executive joining an advisory business.

Prior to CBRE Global Investors, van Oosterom was head of asset management at Silverpeak Real Estate Partners, formerly Lehman Brothers Real Estate Partners.