Partners Group

After three M&A deals last year, head of real estate Mike Bryant is backing ‘vertical depth’ to propel the firm’s real estate investing capabilities to new heights.

The executive is departing the Swiss manager less than a year after joining as global co-head of real estate.

Encouraged by shifting market conditions and resilience to economic challenges, managers and investors are backing the sector to deliver strong returns in the next cycle.

As well as providing a significant boost to Partners’ direct real estate business, the merger of the two Swiss firms will add real estate credit to the manager’s offering.

Gaining significant exposure to real estate credit was also a key draw, according to global co-head of real estate Karim Habra.

A week on from the appointment of Karim Habra, the manager has hired two more executives to bolster its operational real estate expertise.

Private real estate’s biggest firms - Blackstone, UBS and Partners Group among them - have clear reasons for needing more people at the top.

The former Apollo senior executive has left the Swiss investment group less than a year after he joined in April last year.