Blackstone’s European real estate business has hailed a double-digit percentage rise in investment headcount despite the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic, with its head of European acquisitions committing to developing “the next generation of diverse leaders”.
The number of investment professionals in the business has grown by 11% year-on-year, and the company has also made 22 real estate promotions in Europe, out of a total of 96 globally.
Among those lifted in the latest promotion round is Michael Swank, who is now a senior managing director for acquisitions. London-based Swank has been with Blackstone for a decade, most recently driving real estate deals in Germany and the Nordics.
Swank worked on Blackstone’s 2019 €4.2bn take-private of German office REIT Dream Global, its €3.8bn takeover of Helsinki-focused landlord Sponda in 2017 and its acquisition of a majority stake in Swedish-listed residential company D. Carnegie in 2016.
David Gorleku has been named principal in Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies, a year after he joined the company from private equity house Actis, while Guillaume Lecois has also been named principal in the acquisitions team. Lecois has led investment in France and will now also oversee acquisitions in Italy.
Samir Amichi, Blackstone’s head of real estate acquisitions for Europe, told EG: “I am delighted that, in such a difficult year, we have managed to hire more people and promote some of our talented and diverse professionals. We’re committed to developing the team and recognising the next generation of diverse leaders. An inclusive and dynamic workforce makes us better investors and a better firm.”
The company has continued to prioritise gender diversity, with rising stars including Sumedha Goenka, a principal in acquisitions focused on the hospitality and leisure sectors.
Since 2015, Blackstone’s real estate division has more than doubled the number of women in its incoming analyst class from 20% to 45% and has increased racial diversity from 35% to 44%.
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