Schroders Private Assets business has developed rapidly over the past few years, as part of the Group’s ongoing strategic focus in this area are now looking to further accelerate the development of its real estate business, Schroder Real Estate.
Schroders is announcing the appointment of Sophie van Oosterom, who will join Schroders in January 2021 to the role of Schroders Global Head of Real Estate, to oversee the direct and indirect real estate portfolio.
Prior to joining Schroders, Sophie van Oosterom was CEO and CIO of EMEA for CBRE Global Investors. In this capacity, Sophie was responsible for the oversight of all operations, investment strategy and performance, underwriting and program development in the region, and served as a member of the Global Executive Committee and Global Investment Committee and as chair of the European Executive Committee and European Investment Committee.
Sophie began her real estate and finance career in 1996. Before joining CBRE Global Investors she was a managing director and European Head of Asset Management of the Lehman Brothers Real Estate Partners private equity funds (now Silverpeak Real Estate Partners) with around $20 billion of assets under management at its peak.
Georg Wunderlin, Global Head of Private Assets at Schroders, said:
“I am delighted to welcome Sophie van Oosterom to our team. Sophie joins us with a strong track record of building successful private assets businesses. She will be a key partner in our strategy to become a market leader in this field. This is an exciting time in our journey, and Sophie brings a wealth of relevant experience which will help us achieve the next phase in our growth for our real estate and broader private assets platform.
After almost 9 years at Schroders, Duncan Owen has decided to step down from the role of Global Head of Real Estate with effect from 31 December 2020. During this time he has reshaped the business and laid the groundwork for growth. The real estate division has grown to €19.2 billion and enjoyed strong investment performance during Duncan’s leadership. He will continue with the business as a Special Advisor to Schroders Real Estate, with a focus on continuing to advise the Schroders UK REIT and the SREIM board in relation to the newly acquired Schroders Pamfleet entity in Asia, where he will sit on the board.
Georg Wunderlin, Global Head of Private Assets at Schroders, added:
“I remain grateful for Duncan’s valuable contribution to our Real Estate business over the past 9 years and we are glad to continue to have his support as a Special Advisor. He has steered the team through an important phase of growth and leaves us in a strong position to continue to execute our strategy to strengthen the platform to better serve the needs of our investors.”
Schroder Real Estate forms part of Schroders’ private assets business which is a key strategic priority for the firm. This capability includes private equity, infrastructure, microfinance and impact investments, insurance-linked securities and securitised credit and has combined assets under management of £44.2 billion as at 31 December 2019.