Managers

UK insurer L&G has appointed Ashley Goldblatt to reportedly push into real estate lending.

The Toronto-based manager has invested just 30% of its $5.5bn Real Estate Turnaround Consortium, committing $1.6bn into the GGP recapitalisation. Brookfield, which has another $3.1bn of infrastructure dry powder, is planning to launch seven funds in the next 18 months eyeing $4bn of public and private equity.

Alok Gaur, formerly of Credit Suisse Real Estate Private Funds Group and more recently Greenhill & Co, has joined Carlyle in its Washington D.C. headquarters, focussed on investor relations in global real estate.

Mark Burgess will take over as general manager in the middle of the year from CIO David Neal.

The Swiss investor has closed Partners Group Global Infrastructure 2009 with commitments from pensions, insurers and endowments, among others. The vehicle already counts 17 investments in its portfolio.

The pan-Asia real estate investment management business founded Suchad Chiaranussati, is now more than 75 percent invested in its second opportunity fund, enabling it to begin fundraising on fund three.

The San Francisco-based logistics developer and fund manager will invest $88m into the venture with HIP China Logistics, a specially created entity backed by international capital.

The chairman of Morgan Stanley’s real estate business is quitting his role as CEO of the bank’s Asia operations. He is set to return to New York in June, but reportedly declined to say whether he would remain with Morgan Stanley in the future.

The private equity firm has raised £50m from institutional investors for the IPO of Duet Real Estate Finance Limited as well as a further £25m for its existing private vehicle.

Daniel Mudd will challenge a ‘Wells notice’ served by the Securities and Exchange Commission, as the federal agency investigates the conduct of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the run-up to the financial crisis.