HSBC’s head of real estate finance Steve Willingham has been appointed chairman of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council Europe.
He replaces outgoing chairman Madeleine McDougall of Lloyds.
Willingham is the second senior member of HSBC’s real estate finance team to chair CREFC Europe after Matt Webster, global head of the bank’s finance business, departed for the US last year.
In addition to announcing the appointment of Willingham, CREFC Europe also made two new appointments to the board.
Mike Shields, managing director at ING Real Estate Finance, will join the board alongside Jane Hollinshead, principal at IJD Consulting and former head of real estate at Addleshaw Goddard.
Willingham will look to build on the work of McDougall in creating a better working and regulatory environment for the real estate finance industry.
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