EXCLUSIVE: Rockspring adds two to partnership

The London-based fund manager has made its head of research, José Luis Pellicer, and the fund manager of its NPS separate account, Michael Pryer, partners.

Rockspring Property Investment Managers, the London-based fund manager, has added two of its senior executives to its partnership.

José Luis Pellicer, head of research, and Michael Pryer, a fund manager who is responsible for Rockspring’s mandates with the Korean state pension fund, the National Pension Service (NPS), takes the firm’s management board to 14.

Pryer’s role at Rockspring sees him manage the firm’s separate account mandates NPS Real Estate Projects Property Partnership and NPS European Property Limited Partnership.

The relationship with Korea’s pre-eminent state investor began in 2007 when it backed the fourth fund in Rockspring’s TransEuropean fund series. Since then the relationship between NPS and Rockspring strengthened and a mandate to acquire core real estate on a deal-by-deal basis, first in London and then in Europe, was awarded in 2009, before a $400 million mandate to acquire core real estate in Europe the following year and a mandate to invest €300 million via a pan-Europe, value-add strategy last July.

Pryer also manages the Cheshire Pension Fund’s discretionary property investment portfolio and HBOS UK FSPS property investment portfolio for Rockspring.

Prior to joining the firm Pryer was a manager in investment banking at financial advisory and asset management firm Lazard. Before Lazard, he was fund manager for Crown Financial Management Life and Pension Funds.

Pellicer’s career began as a general economist for the EBRD in London, after which he joined Deutsche Bank, first as an economist and then as part of the real estate research team. He moved to Rockspring in 2004 to set up the research function. In 2007, he left the firm to help set up Goldman Sachs’ Property Derivatives Desk, before spending 2 years at AEW Europe, and then re-joining Rockspring in 2011.

“José and Michael have made invaluable contributions to the ongoing growth and development of Rockspring and it is with great pleasure that we welcome them both to the partnership,” said Edmund Craston, managing director at Rockspring.