GE continues debt team drive

Following the appointment of Mike Bryant as managing director of international debt recently, the firm has made Melanie Collett head of debt business development in the UK. GE is seeking to build on €4bn of real estate debt investments it has made in Europe since last year.

GE Real Estate has appointed Melanie Collett head of UK business development in its expanding debt market division.

Up until 2007, Collett was responsible for growing equity investments, but her role has been shifting over the past year to reflect GE’s increased appetite for real estate debt deals. In her new role, she will continue to originate debt transactions, said GE, but would also build a team to boost volume.

Ilaria del Beato, managing director of GE Real Estate UK, said in a statement: “We continue to be excited by the prospect of significantly growing our debt exposure in the UK.”

Bryant, who has been responsible for originating equity opportunities in UK private and public property markets, is working with GE’s existing teams in Europe and Asia to boost exposure.

GE signalled its intention to focus more on debt rather than purely equity investments in November 2007 when it acquired €2.7 billion ($4.1 billion) of loans from UK mortgage company, Bradford and Bingley.