Q&A – Otis Spencer

In the mid-1990s, Chicago-based Heitman became one of the first major property players to invest in Central Europe. The firm formed a JV in 1996 to develop the Warsaw Financial Center, a 32-story office building that was the tallest building in Eastern Europe. In 2000, the firm launched Heitman Central Europe Property Partners to focus on Poland and the Czech Republic, which closed on $125 million. Slovakia and Hungary were added to the mandate for the second fund, which closed on €175 million in 2002. By the time Heitman launched its third vehicle on €350 million in 2005, it was also looking for opportunities in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria. Otis Spencer, the firm's Warsaw-based portfolio manager, spoke with PERE about the evolution of Heitman's strategy in the region and where the firm is looking for value as competition grows.