This week’s overview of transfers, appointments and promotions includes updates from Vistra, BNP Paribas, The Directors Office, Stonehage Fleming, DWS, Empira and XS.com.
Frank Roden
Frank Roden (main photo) has been appointed as managing director of the Luxembourg branch of fund and corporate services-provider Vistra. Roden previously worked at BNP Paribas Securities Services, where he served as the EMEA Head of Asset Managers and Asset Owners.
Roden will replace Jervis Smith, who “has been instrumental in shaping and growing the Vistra Luxembourg business over the past four years,” the company announced.
Riccardo del Tufo
Riccardo del Tufo has been welcomed as the newest partner at The Directors Office, which brings together Independent Directors providing governance services to the Luxembourg financial sector. In addition to founding ILA, the Luxembourg institute of administrators. All of the team of 20 directors have worked internationally in senior roles for many years.
Del Tufo until the summer served as chief operating officer and acting CEO at Waystone Luxembourg. He was already involved at The Directors Office at an earlier stage in his career. “We are delighted that Riccardo del Tufo, CFA, FRM is coming home to The Directors Office after a distinguished career as head of risk management and acting CEO of one of Luxembourg’s leading Management Companies,” said Paul de Quant, lead partner at The Directors Office, in a statement.
Louis Goudon de Lalande
Louis Goudon de Lalande has been appointed as head of wealth management and major private clients at BNP Paribas Banque Privée. He succeeds Dominique Potier and Pierre de Pellegars. Goudon de Lalande currently heads BNP Paribas’s business in France’s Grand Est region.
Gillian Ralston Jordan
Gillian Ralston Jordan has been appointed as the new head of family office business in Guernsey at Stonehage Fleming. She succeeds Iris Harvey. Ralston Jordan joined the multi-family office group from Jersey-based corporate and fund service provider JTC Group, where she was group director.
Michael Bennett
Michael Bennett has been named as director of client solutions, USA at Empira Group, a Swiss-based institutional real estate investment firm. With more than 15 years of experience raising over five billion dollars in equity capital at leading investment companies, Bennett’s diversified set of skills and strong institutional capital relationships will be an asset to Empira Group as it continues to expand and unlock broader opportunities in the US and beyond.
Prior to joining Empira, Bennett began his career at Morgan Stanley with their real estate private equity funds focused on acquisitions, asset management and capital raising. In 2002, Michael stepped away from Morgan Stanley and served six years as a highly decorated non-commissioned officer in the US Army 75th Ranger Regiment Special Operations. Upon his return to real estate, Michael effectively raised capital as both agent and principal with Hodes Weill, Round Hill Capital and Tribeca Investment Group.
Hanna Chung
Hanna Chung has been named country manager for Vietnam at XS.com, a fintech-based multi-asset broker active in the global market. Chung’s appointment comes at a moment as the global multi-asset broker continues its global expansion, strategically establishing its presence in regions worldwide, including the dynamic Vietnamese market.
Ulrich Steinmetz, Christian Baecker and Ronen Ribak
Ulrich Steinmetz has been appointed as head of real estate transactions at Frankfurt-headquartered asset manager DWS. Christian Baecker has taken over Steinmetz’s responsibility as head of portfolio management real estate retail, in particular for the German real estate retail funds business. Ronen Ribak has been appointed to a newly created position as head of value-add real estate for Europe. Steinmetz, who joined DWS in 2002 covering real estate transactions for North America, South America, Asia Pacific and the UK, has managed DWS’s open and closed-ended real estate retail funds business in Germany since October 2008.
DWS has seen strong growth in its open-ended real estate retail funds in recent years, almost tripling the net asset value from 5.2 billion euro in 2008 to 15.1 billion in 2023. In his new role, Steinmetz will drive the long-term strategic focus of DWS’s European transactions function. Baecker joined DWS’s real estate platform in 2005 and has managed a globally invested open-ended real estate retail fund since 2016. Ribak has played a critical role in establishing DWS’s centralised European real estate transactions team overseeing a total transaction volume of around 25 billion euro.
“I’m very pleased to make these key appointments within our growing Europe real estate franchise,” said Clemens Schaefer, head of real estate for APAC and Europe at DWS. “We have a significant depth of experience and leadership capabilities across the platform which has enabled us to promote from within the organisation.”
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