BNP Paribas Real Estate Investment Management (BNP Paribas REIM) has appointed Benoit de la Boulaye to head-up its UK business. The real estate investment arm manages £27bn (over €30bn) of European commercial real estate and offers a wide range of real estate funds and investment solutions for international investors across all asset classes in Europe.
The firm sees huge opportunities in the UK and Benoit will lead the strategic growth plan for the market together with a highly experienced team that grew significantly over the past two years. In its role, Benoit will be supported by highly experienced Investment Management professionals, including:
Martin Francis, responsible for Operations & Asset Management
Jack McCarron, responsible for Investment and Divestment
Niamh Canavan, responsible for Institutional Sales and Investor Relations
In 2020, BNP Paribas REIM emphasised its commitment to the UK market further by making Claus Thomas, member of BNP Paribas REIM’s Executive Committee (ExCo), responsible for overseeing the UK business on ExCo level.
Benoit has over 14 years of investment management experience and an impressive track record of buying and managing European real estate assets to a value of over £3bn on behalf of Funds and Institutional Separate Accounts. He started his career in Paris and has worked for BNP Paribas REIM since 2011.
In 2019, Benoit moved to the firm’s London office, tasked with developing the future vision for the business and to build a dedicated team, while also overseeing the Separate Account and Mandate management activities for the entire business line in Europe, providing bespoke investment management solutions to institutional investors.
Benoit de la Boulaye, Head of BNP Paribas REIM UK, said:
“The UK is a strategically important market for us where we see vast potential for long-term growth. BNP Paribas REIM has for more than half a century provided international institutional investors and private individuals with investment management services, giving us in-depth understanding of managing real estate investments of varying scale and complexity. Our focus is now to continue to grow our dedicated service offer in the UK and we have ambitious plans to become one of the most innovative and ESG driven firms.
Our recent launch of the European Impact Property Fund (EIPF), demonstrates our true commitment to the green agenda. It is the first property fund, compliant with the 2015 Paris Agreement and targets a 40% reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions within 10 years. ESG is already a key driver for investment decisions and this trend will only continue going forward.”
Claus Thomas, member of BNP Paribas REIM’s Executive committee said:
“Benoit is a highly experienced investment management expert and longstanding member of the BNP Paribas REIM team. With his track record and the support of an outstanding team of experts, we are well placed to deliver our ambitious plans for the UK market. Brexit and COVID-19 have both presented unprecedented challenges for real estate but we are optimistic about the future and our continued growth in the UK market.
Real estate remains a solid investment opportunity offering low risk and good returns, this coupled with low interest rates will continue to make the investment class highly attractive to investors. In addition, the UK market in particular offers highly attractive yields compared to the continent. UK’s new relationship with Europe may present challenges in the near future but long-term it will also offer new opportunities for investors seeking diversification.“
Prior to joining BNP Paribas REIM, Benoit worked at the Boston Consulting Group as a strategy consultant and, earlier in his career, he was in charge of transaction and portfolio management of Real Estate Investments at Caisse des Depots et Consignations. Benoit graduated from ESCP EAP in 2007 and has studied in University of Wisconsin (US) and Copenhagen Business School (Denmark).
- Amira TAHIROVIC
