JER opens offices in Brazil and Mexico

JER Partners is continuing its expansion under the stewardship of Michael Pralle with the launch of two new offices in Brazil and Mexico.

Roberto Perroni was named as director and head of JER’s Brazil office, to be based in Sao Paulo, while Sergio Hernandez has been hired as the McLean, Virginia-based firm’s Mexico-based director. Perroni was formerly superintendent director of Brazilian development and investment firm, Camargo Corrêa Desenvolvimento Imobiliário. Hernandez was previously national sales director of GE Capital Solutions Mexico, developing GE’s commercial finance platform in the country.

The news comes hot on the heels of a trio of appointments announced by JER last month, which saw the hiring of Dwight Arnesen, formerly managing director of North America acquisitions at Starwood Capital Group; Jim Green, previously global head of marketing at Citigroup Property Investors; and Mark Chamieh, UBS Global Asset Management’s former head of global business development. Arnesen will help lead the firm’s focus on US distressed assets, while Green and Chamieh will help develop JER’s capital-raising team.

Since taking the helm of JER Companies, JER Partners’ parent company, last October, Michael Pralle – formerly president of GE Real Estate – has set about expanding the firm’s global presence, particularly in emerging markets such as Latin America and Russia. Pralle speaks to PERE about his expansion plans in an interview to be published in the June issue of PERE magazine. For more information on the magazine click here.

In a statement today, Pralle said the appointments came at an “exciting and pivotal time” in the firm’s history. Perroni added: “Tremendous opportunity exists at the intersection of private equity and real estate in Brazil and Latin America.  I look forward to helping shape JER’s approach to the local market and assembling the human capital needed to succeed.”

The firm said both men would head their respective offices growing JER’s presence in Latin America, with Hernandez helping build an operating platform “to place equity investment in real estate ventures in Mexico and Central America.”