MSREI beefs up ranks with Asia fundraising hire

Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing (MSREI) has hired a senior capital raiser from CBRE Global Investors to lead its fundraising efforts in Asia.

MSREI has hired Martijn van Eldik, a director at CBRE Global Investors, as an executive director and head of fundraising in Asia. He is expected to start his new role on October 15 and will be based in Singapore.

PERE understands that van Eldik’s appointment is to be followed by the appointment of a head of fundraising in Europe in November and is part of a wider push by the investment bank-sponsored platform to raise capital for future investment vehicles.

MSREI has for a while been mooted to be exploring the launch of a series of regional funds as it tries to serve its investors' appetite for more tightly focused investment vehicles.

The firm’s latest global opportunity fund, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund (MSREF) VII Global in January was awarded an extension of 12 months to invest the best part of $2 billion, but a US focused opportunity fund was reported to be coming to market just one month later with the firm targeting a capital haul of $1 billion.

On stage at PERE’s Asia Summit in February, MSREI’s co-chief executive officer and co-chief investment officer, Olivier de Poulpiquet, tipped county-specific investment vehicles for Asia too, mentioning that core and core-plus “products” might be introduced. van Eldik would almost certainly be involved in corralling the capital.

He brings more than five years of experience at the world’s largest property investment manager, CBRE Global Investors, which he joined in March 2007. Before that role, he was at ING Real Estate Investment Management (ING REIM), which CBRE Global Investors acquired last year, working as a senior vice president in Hong Kong. He joined ING REIM in December 2001, originally working in its Hague office.

In addition to capital raising for real estate investment funds, van Eldik also has experience in investor relations, business development and fund and portfolio restructuring.

MSREI declined to comment.