CREFC Europe, a trade association for real estate lenders and the European real estate finance market, has announced its new Chair Elect at its Annual General Meeting. Nassar Hussain of Brookland, already a member of the CREFC Europe Board, has stepped into the Chair Elect role.
Chris Bennett of DekaBank takes over as Chair from Jessica Tomlinson of Barclays Bank who becomes Immediate Past Chair.
Emma Huepfl of CBRE Investment Management has been elected to continue serving on the Board for one more year, following the conclusion of her year as Immediate Past Chair. Jeffrey Rubinoff of White & Case has been elected to a second three year term on the Board.
In addition, CREFC Europe members elected four new Directors to the Board: Gregor Bamert of Aviva Investors, Nicola Free of Wells Fargo, Alison Lambert of Oxford Properties and Matthew Plax of Mizrahi Tefahot Bank have all joined the Board to serve three year terms.
CREFC Europe continues to pursue its commitment to represent a diverse real estate finance market in a collegiate and inclusive way, including through a balanced range of institutions and individuals on its Board of Directors, which can be seen here. Lorna Brown of Birchwood Real Estate Capital has retired from the Board after six years’ service.
Earlier this year, the term of office of Sharon Quinlan of HSBC Bank was cut short following her posting to Hong Kong.
Nassar Hussain, Founder and Partner, Brookland, and new CREFC Europe Chair Elect, said: “Having been involved with CREFC Europe for over 15 years I have had the opportunity to witness the very valuable contribution it has made to the European real estate finance markets and the people that work within them through both positive and challenging times in the real estate cycle. I am therefore delighted to be appointed to the role of Chair Elect and look forward to supporting the new Chair, the Board and all those involved with CREFC Europe to continue the meaningful role that it performs for our industry.”
Chris Bennett, Managing Director and Head of London Branch, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale, and new CREFC Europe Chair, said: “The Commercial Real Estate Finance market currently faces macroeconomic headwinds, exacerbating the structural changes of adapting to the post pandemic environment, and creating Real Estate with a lower carbon footprint and optimized energy usage. Through its strong focus on ESG together with its deep and diverse membership base, CREFC Europe continues to provide a forum for education and discussion to help its members navigate passage through these opportunities and challenges. I am proud to step into the Chair role and to continue to support the Board, its executives and member firms.”
Jess Tomlinson, Managing Director, Barclays, and outgoing Chair of CREFC Europe, said: “CREFC Europe plays an essential role in the Commercial Real Estate Finance Market, giving lenders a clear voice, providing insight, tools and a place where professionals can connect and develop. It has been a privilege to Chair CREFC while it has continued to broaden its membership and help lenders to address the key themes of the transition to net zero and the diversity of the sector. I look forward to supporting Chris as new Chair, the rest of the Board and the executive team over the coming years.”
Peter Cosmetatos, Chief Executive of CREFC Europe, said: “The generous, committed and high calibre individuals on our Board of Directors play an essential role in helping us ensure that we are relevant to our industry and an informed, representative and compelling voice when we speak for our members. In a persistently uncertain and challenging environment, we will continue to do everything we can to help people in real estate finance connect, learn, share and influence.
“We are all grateful to Jess for her (continuing!) leadership and support and to Chris for stepping up into the hot seat. I am delighted to welcome Gregor, Nicola, Alison and Matthew onto the Board, and Nassar to the leadership team.
“We look ahead with hope and confidence.”
