GI Partners has hired Eric Lemer from Credit Suisse’s Real Estate Private Fund Group to become director of capital raising and investor relations in Europe.
Lemer was based in the London office of Credit Suisse’s global real estate fundraising business until the summer when he joined the private equity real estate firm.
Mark Tagliaferri, executive managing director of GI Partners in London, said the appointment marked the first time GI had created a position for a European-based capital raiser and IR professional.
He added his primary focus would be on building, maintaining and enhancing relationships with institutional investors around the globe. Tagliaferri added: “Working with our US-based director of investor relations, Kristen Mary, Eric’s appointment is also part of our continuing efforts to broaden our in-house fundraising skills for both GI and our portfolio companies, especially in light of the changes in the fundraising environment over the past 24 months.”
From 2005-2010, Lemer worked on fundraising and advisory assignments which, in the aggregate, raised in excess of $5.5 billion for London-based private equity real estate firms including Mountgrange Investment Management, Resolution Property Company, Orion Capital Managers and Frogmore Real Estate Partners, as well as for Spain’s Neinver.
Prior to Credit Suisse, he completed more than $10 billion of real estate capital markets transactions as one of the founding members of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette’s and PaineWebber’s real estate investment banking groups in New York.
GI Partners, which is based in Menlo Park, California and London, UK, specialises in making investments in asset-intensive businesses and properties in Western Europe and North America.
Its latest fund, GI Partners Fund III, closed last October with $1.9 billion of capital commitments and is around 50 percent committed.
Deals include investments in Urban & Civic, a UK-based real estate operating company targeting strategic land and real estate acquisitions, Ladder Capital Finance, a US-based real estate finance company, Care Aspirations, a British provider of specialist care for individuals with severe learning disabilities and FlatIron Crossing, a joint venture with US-based national regional mall operator, Macerich, on a 1.7 million square feet regional shopping mall outside of Denver.
Lemer said that in addition to working on future GI fundraises, he would “evaluate and execute” strategic capital raising alternatives for GI’s European investment platforms, including joint ventures, direct investment and co-investment opportunities.
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