Friday Letter Rock the vote

Polls open today for the 2011 Global PERE Awards. Now is the time for you, our loyal readers, to determine which firms and individuals stood out from the crowd this past year.  

As the year draws to a close, thoughts once again turn to the holidays, reflections on the past year, plans for the upcoming year…and the Global PERE Awards.

Currently in its sixth year, the Global PERE Awards arguably are the most eagerly awaited and highly prized accolades connected with the private equity real estate community worldwide. The awards are so highly regarded because they are totally independent – there is no sponsorship and no panel of judges. Our readers alone vote for the people and organisations that mattered most in 2011.

This year’s slate of nominees is particularly strong. To check out nominees in the global, North America, Europe and Asia categories, follow the link to our dedicated voting page and get voting.

Will The Blackstone Group be named Global Firm of the Year for its multitude of large transactions around the globe? Or will CBRE Global Investors get the nod for its game-changing acquisition of the ING Real Estate Investment Management platform? Throw in global heavy-hitters Lone Star Funds and LaSalle Investment Management, and you have the makings for an interesting race.

Another tough race is likely to occur in the North America Capital Raise of the Year category. Blackstone, which has garnered more than $4.7 billion in commitments for its latest global opportunity fund, goes up against Lone Star’s $5.5 billion fund, The Carlyle Group’s $2.3 billion fund and KSL Capital Partners’ $2 billion leisure-focused real estate fund.

There are plenty of nominations and categories for you to ponder, and we look forward to monitoring each and every voting battle as they play out over the coming weeks. Voting closes at midnight EST on 20 January 2012, and results will be published simultaneously on perenews.com and in the March issue of PERE magazine.

Voting is easy. Simply visit our voting page and fire away. Each category has four nominations for you to consider. Or, if you think there is a strong candidate that has been overlooked, choose the write-in option. As with previous years, you can vote in all, some or even just one category; you just cannot vote for yourself or your own organisation.

So which nominated individuals and firms deserve honors for 2011? Time for you to decide.

We look forward to a robust final tally, and thank you for taking the time to vote.