Key Takeaways
- • Henley, a private equity property firm managing £175m in assets, has appointed Jeff Morton as Chief Investment Officer from BlackRock, where he managed a £2bn flagship UK Real Estate Fund as managing director and head of investments.
- • Morton brings 25 years of institutional and property company experience to the role, positioning Henley to accelerate growth in assets under management ahead of planned capital raises.
- • Henley plans to launch a capital-raising programme for its Deep Value Commercial Real Estate Fund, targeting total returns above IPD All Property forecasts through contra-cyclical investment strategies in mispriced commercial property sectors.
- • The appointment precedes an anticipated fundraising initiative designed to deploy current and new client capital opportunistically across UK commercial property markets in Scotland, England, and Wales.
Summary
Henley, a private equity-focused commercial property firm, has appointed Jeff Morton as Chief Investment Officer effective immediately. Morton joins from BlackRock, where he held the position of managing director and head of investments for the firm's £2bn flagship UK Real Estate Fund, bringing three decades of institutional and property sector experience to the role.
The appointment arrives at a strategic inflection point for Henley. Founding partner and Chief Executive Ian Rickwood emphasized that Morton's extensive background will "complement existing Henley Partners' strengths and will help drive our current ambitions to grow Henley's assets under management rapidly." The firm currently manages £175m in assets across commercial property in Scotland, England, and Wales.
Rickwood signaled that Henley expects to announce a capital-raising programme in the near term focused on the Henley Deep Value Commercial Real Estate Fund. The initiative will target total returns exceeding IPD All Property forecasts, leveraging both existing and new client capital to execute contra-cyclical investment strategies. According to Rickwood, the firm will "make prudent contra-cyclical investment plays, in order to take advantage of short-term mispricing in certain commercial sectors of the market." The strategy underscores Henley's intent to deploy capital opportunistically during periods of market dislocation while maintaining rigorous underwriting and implementation standards.
The timing of Morton's hire—ahead of the formal capital-raise announcement—signals confidence in Henley's ability to attract institutional capital and suggests the firm sees near-term opportunities in UK commercial property markets to capitalize on current valuations.
The appointment arrives at a strategic inflection point for Henley. Founding partner and Chief Executive Ian Rickwood emphasized that Morton's extensive background will "complement existing Henley Partners' strengths and will help drive our current ambitions to grow Henley's assets under management rapidly." The firm currently manages £175m in assets across commercial property in Scotland, England, and Wales.
Rickwood signaled that Henley expects to announce a capital-raising programme in the near term focused on the Henley Deep Value Commercial Real Estate Fund. The initiative will target total returns exceeding IPD All Property forecasts, leveraging both existing and new client capital to execute contra-cyclical investment strategies. According to Rickwood, the firm will "make prudent contra-cyclical investment plays, in order to take advantage of short-term mispricing in certain commercial sectors of the market." The strategy underscores Henley's intent to deploy capital opportunistically during periods of market dislocation while maintaining rigorous underwriting and implementation standards.
The timing of Morton's hire—ahead of the formal capital-raise announcement—signals confidence in Henley's ability to attract institutional capital and suggests the firm sees near-term opportunities in UK commercial property markets to capitalize on current valuations.
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