Birchwood Real Estate Capital has appointed Emma Parr as managing director and general counsel.
Parr was previously general counsel at Get Living, before which she spent seven years as a private equity partner at White & Case. At Birchwood, Parr will focus on establishing the company as a leading independent debt fund.
The real estate lender was set up in June by former Royal Bank of Scotland, Blackstone and Delancey executive Lorna Brown.
It was initially backed by Connecticut-based WR Berkley, one of the largest commercial property and casualty insurers in the US.
Brown was joined by director Kate Tovey, who previously worked at Delancey and Legal & General, and surveyor Carole Cook, a former associate director in Cushman and Wakefield’s City investment team.
Brown said: “Emma has diverse experience in structuring and executing transactions, managing teams, and delivering bespoke funding solutions to support complex deals. There are undoubtedly headwinds facing the real estate sector at present, which will create challenges for some and opportunities for others.
“Our collective deep-rooted experience as both investor, lender and borrower over the past 20 years will be a huge asset to clients that want seasoned expertise as they navigate the current climate.”
Parr said: “Our team’s long-standing connections through our previous roles have enabled us to navigate a vast array of corporate situations in multiple complex environments.
“Establishing a new lending business that can offer clients the benefit of our rich experience with leading investors at such a crucial time for the market will be a huge challenge but one I am looking forward to.
“Our ambition is to create a multifaceted team that has been at the coalface of investing and developing – one that can help its clients navigate the many challenges they face through a real partnership approach.”
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