Colonial setup UK & NY team

COLONIAL First State Global Asset Management has setup teams in the United Kingdom and New York with high profile appointments to source new investment opportunities for funds.

Colonial First Global Asset Management’s head of property and alternative investments James O’Leary said the establishment of the transactions and capital projects teams forms part of a strategy to focus on providing the institutional market with access to global property and infrastructure investment opportunities, particularly via significant corporate transactions.

The expanded transaction and capital project teams will comprise a mixture of local hires and secondees from the Australian team.

“By combining the experience and culture of professionals from our Sydney office with professionals from local markets, we ensure that the business and investment philosophy of our teams is recreated for each local market,” O’Leary added.

The global head of the transactions and capital projects team Damian Rigney said the creation of the UK and New York teams will increase transactional capabilities and better position the group to take advantage of the increasing number of attractive investment opportunities globally.

The London team will be lead by former Merrill Lynch UK Investment Banking Group Vice President, Marcus Ayre, who has been appointed as a Director, transactions and capital projects, London.

“Marcus is a British national with more than ten years investment banking experience in mergers, acquisitions and capital markets. Prior to his role at Merrill Lynch, Marcus worked with HSBC and ING Barings. He has had significant experience in corporate transaction origination and execution across Europe, as well as equity capital markets,” Rigney said.

Ayre commenced in the London office on June 18.

Meanwhile, Ed Lloyd, senior executive, has transferred from Sydney to join the London transactions and capital projects team, and commenced in the London office on June 12.

“Ed has been highly active in our European transactional efforts during the past 12 months and was a key member of the transaction team in our successful consortium bid for AWG, among other projects,” Rigney said.

Ross Du Vernet, senior executive, will also be transferring to the London team. He has been with the group for more than five years and will be focussing on origination and execution of transactions across both the property and infrastructure sectors.

Also included in the London team is Grant Rayner. He has been with Colonial First State Global Asset Management for more than two years, and has spent the past 18 months working in London, with a particular focus on establishing the European Diversified Infrastructure Fund which is currently being marketed.

Transactions and Capital Projects is in the process of establishing its New York presence with Duane Cadman being appointed as Director, Transactions and Capital Projects, New York.

Since joining Colonial First State Global Asset Management in January 2006, Cadman has been involved in the successful acquisition of AWG plc, the public market approach to BAA plc, the trade sale of the Colonial Agricultural Fund and Colonial First State Private Capital’s recent strategic review and prior capital raising.

Prior to joining Colonial First State Global Asset Management, he held investment banking roles with Gresham Partners in Sydney and, prior to that at JP Morgan.

Australian Property Journal