Taking the tape

Brookfield Asset Management has been voted global firm of the year in the PERE Awards 2009.

Brookfield won the title following two months of intense voting and competition from China’s sovereign wealth fund, the China Investment Corporation, and Dallas-based private equity and real estate investor Lone Star, which came second and third, respectively.

Brookfield’s success was in part due to its success in raising the $5.5 billion Real Estate Turnaround Consortium, which saw the Toronto-based outfit raise equity capital from a number of large institutional investors, reportedly including CIC. Indeed, the Turnaround Consortium capital raise was named global fundraise of the year by PERENews.com and PERE readers.

With thousands of votes cast, readers chose the people, firms and deals they thought stood out from the crowd in 2009.

Barry Sternlicht, Starwood Capital chairman, was voted global industry figure of the year, while Edward Siskind, global head of Goldman Sachs Real Estate Principal Investment Area, and Andie Kang, the real estate investment manager of the National Pension Service of Korea, were named Europe and Asia industry figures of the year respectively.

Credit Suisse Real Estate Private Fund Group almost swept the board in the placement agent of the year categories, losing out only to Macquarie Capital Advisors in the Asia region. Partners Group took the honours of Europe firm of the year as well as North America and Asia funds of funds of the year.

Meanwhile, the mezzanine foreclosure of the John Hancock Tower in Boston stole the deal honours, being named global and North America deal of the year. Normandy Real Estate Partners and Five Mile Capital Partners, who led the transaction, were named North America firm of the year and North America debt investor of the year respectively.

Here are a full list of the winners:

GLOBAL

Global industry figure of the year
Barry Sternlicht, Starwood Capital, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Global firm of the year
Brookfield Asset Management

Global deal of the year
John Hancock Tower, Boston – Normandy Real Estate Partners and Five Mile Capital Partners

Global fundraise of the year
Brookfield Real Estate Turnaround Consortium – $5.5 billion club structure  

Global debt investor
Lone Star   

Global restructuring advisor of the year
Lazard   

Global placement agent of the year 
Credit Suisse Real Estate Private Fund Group  

Global funds of fund of the year   
Franklin Templeton Real Estate Advisors

Global law firm of the year (fund formation)
Clifford Chance  

Global law firm of the year (transactions)
Clifford Chance 
  
Global limited partner of the year
China Investment Corporation 

Global broker of the year
NAI Global

Middle East, North Africa firm of the year
Global Investment House 

Latin America firm of the year
Vision Brazil Investments
  

NORTH AMERICA

North America industry figure of the year
Sheila Bair, Chairman, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation  

North America firm of the year
Normandy Real Estate Partners 

North America deal of the year
John Hancock Tower, Boston – Normandy Real Estate Partners and Five Mile Capital Partners

North America fundraise of the year
Rockwood Real Estate Partners Fund VIII – $964 million final close 

North America debt investor of the year
Five Mile Capital Partners 

North America placement agent of the year 
Credit Suisse Real Estate Private Fund Group  

North America funds of funds of the year
Partners Group  

North America law firm of the year (fund formation)
Goodwin Procter  

North America law firm of the year (transactions) – joint winners
Clifford Chance     
Kirkland & Ellis   

North America limited partner of the year
Texas Teachers’ Retirement System 

North America broker of the year
Richard Ellis

EUROPE

Europe industry figure of the year
Edward Siskind, Global Head, Goldman Sachs Real Estate Principal Investment Area
 
Europe firm of the year
Partners Group

Europe deal of the year
HSBC Canary Wharf headquarters sale – JP Morgan Asset Management and The National Pension Service of South Korea
 
Europe fundraising of the year
Benson Elliot Real Estate Partners III – €505 million final close
 
Europe debt investor of the year
Lone Star
 
Europe placement agent of the year
Credit Suisse Real Estate Private Fund Group
 
Europe fund of funds of the year
Aberdeen Property Investors
 
Europe law firm of the year (fund formation)
Clifford Chance
 
Europe law firm of the year (transactions)
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
 
Europe limited partner of the year
The Wellcome Trust
 
Europe broker of the year
Jones Lang LaSalle

ASIA

Asia industry figure of the year
Andie Kang, senior portfolio manager, The National Pension Service of Korea
 
Asia firm of the year
MGPA
 
Asia deal of the year
181 Queens Road, Grand Millennium Tower, Hong Kong – MGPA
 
Asia fundraise of the year
Lone Star Real Estate Fund II – $725 million to date, target $10 billion
 
Asia debt investor of the year
Lone Star
 
Asia placement agent of the year
Macquarie Capital Advisors
 
Asia fund of funds of the year
Partners Group
 
Asia law firm of the year (fund formation)
Mayer Brown
 
Asia law firm of the year (transactions)
Paul Hastings
 
Asia limited partner of the year
China Investment Corporation 
 
Asia broker of the year
Richard Ellis