Aviva Investors has bolstered its real estate equity investment team with the appointment of George Richards as director, investment manager.
Richards joins Aviva Investors from CBRE Investment Management where he spent nine years and held roles as portfolio manager for a corporate pension scheme client and assistant fund manager on the CBRE UK Property Fund.
In his new role, Richards will be responsible for scaling up and driving the growth of Aviva Investors’ industrial and urban logistics real estate strategy.
He will also take charge of ongoing asset performance, building co-investment activities and managing strategic partnerships, as well as responsibility for the leasing of Aviva Investors’ 450,000 sq ft pipeline of industrial development assets.
Julian Cobourne, head of regional investment management at Aviva Investors, said: “George’s appointment reflects the growth in client demand for real estate strategies as part of increased allocations to private markets more generally, and we are very pleased to welcome him to the team.
“With our real estate investment portfolio and development pipeline continuing to grow, George’s arrival provides important expertise and experience to our industrial strategy, one of our key sectors and a core component of our portfolio. We believe he will bring a great deal of value and expertise as we continue building our development and origination capabilities which can support the delivery of long-term client outcomes.”
