Prudential Real Estate Investors (PREI) has recruited Alfonso Munk as chief investment officer for its Latin America business, for which he will oversee more than $3.2 billion in assets under management. He replaces Francisco Andragnes, who left in October to become managing partner of Metro Buildings, a developer of rental apartments in Latin America. Munk reports to Roberto Ordorica, regional head of Latin America.
“We are entering a new phase in many of our portfolios, as we seek to exit many of our initial investments,” Ordorica in an email to PERE. “Alfonso broadens our investment and capital markets expertise at a time we believe the market will present us with significant opportunities in both the public and private markets. In particular, Alfonso brings with him a new set of skills in the public markets to complement and contribute to our private market expertise.”Munk currently is working out of Europe, but he plans to permanently relocate to PREI’s head Latin America office in Miami in the fall. In the interim, he will be visiting the Miami office, along with the firm’s other regionally focused locations in Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Santiago.
Prior to joining PREI, Munk served as a managing director of Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing (MSREI), where he had been involved with the firm’s real estate activities in Europe and Latin America since 2002. Most recently, he was based in Paris as head of MSREI’s investment activities in France, Spain and the Benelux region and previously served as region head for South America from 2007 to 2009.
While at MSREI, Munk oversaw acquisitions, financing and asset management for several Morgan Stanley real estate funds, including the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds international series and Morgan Stanley RE Special Situations funds.
PREI, the real estate investment management business of New Jersey-based financial services firm Prudential Financial, has been investing in Latin America since 2001. It is the largest real estate manager in Mexico and invests in industrial, residential, office and retail properties throughout Mexico, Chile and Brazil.