Empiric Student Property has hired RDI REIT’s Donald Grant as its new finance and sustainability head.
He will replace Lynne Fennah, who announced in May that she was stepping down to pursue other interests.
Grant has more than 20 years’ experience working for FTSE 350 real estate companies, as well as major financial services firms.
Most recently he was chief financial officer at RDI REIT, where he was instrumental in its £468m sale to Starwood in May last year. It has since been rebranded as Brightbay Real Estate Partners.
Prior to this, Grant was head of finance at FTSE 100 REIT Liberty International. He was there for two years until the business was de-merged in 2010 and he moved to Capco as its group financial controller.
Other roles include a stint at Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners, as well as eight years with ABN Amro Bank, Credit Suisse First Boston and Coopers & Lybrand.
Grant’s appointment will be effective from 12 September.
Empiric chief executive Duncan Garrood said Grant is a “strong, commercial and strategic CFO with a well-established successful track record in senior finance roles at FTSE 350 UK real estate companies, a combination that will be invaluable.”
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