CBRE Global appoints new EMEA investor services head

Industry veteran Michael Clarke is joining CBRE Global Investors from March to lead investor relations, equity raising and to help form investment strategies across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Michael Clarke, a European private equity real estate industry veteran, is joining CBRE Global Investors as head of investor services in EMEA.

Clarke is currently senior managing director and head of European real estate at US firm Mesirow Financial where he has focused on investing mainly US capital for its global opportunistic multi-manager program in Europe and Asia for the past three years.

But in a statement today, CBRE Global Investors revealed he would be joining the Los Angeles-based firm in its London office to be responsible for investor relations and equity raising and also for the targeting of new investors and helping formulate investment strategies in the EMEA region. He replaces Giles King, who resigned last year and began at London-based start-up firm, Westmount Real Estate, in January.

Pieter Hendriske, chief executive officer EMEA, said Clarke had joined at “an important juncture” for the business in EMEA, as the firm saw “a shift in sentiment and growing appetite from investors to allocate here in the region and globally”.

Hendriske added: “His appointment means we can draw upon his wide range of experience from capital raising and investor relations to fund management in order to meet the expectations of our clients.”
In turn, Clarke said: “I’m looking forward to working with CBRE Global Investors’ global platform, which has the flexibility and expertise to put together the right strategies for investors, as requirements continue to evolve.”

Before joining Mesirow, he spent 18 years at Schroders in London where assets under management grew to £8 billion (€9.7 billion; $13 billion) from £160 million through the development of a multi-product real estate strategy. He held various investment roles at Schroders until 2003 when he was appointed as head of property distribution.

Clarke is also well known in the private non-listed real estate funds establishment, currently serving as chairman of the secondary market and liquidity committee at The European Association for Investors in Non-Listed Real Estate Vehicles (INREV) where he is also a member of the steering committee for the new INREV Guidelines due to be published this year.