Key Takeaways
- • Edmond de Rothschild Real Estate Investment Management (REIM) appointed DJ Dhananjai as Chief Investment Officer for its UK business, where he will lead operations focused on residential sectors including affordable housing and build-to-rent strategies.
- • Dhananjai brings 25+ years of living sector expertise, including 14 years at CBRE Investment Management where he established a UK residential platform and managed affordable housing fund capital raising and deployment, and previously headed living sector investments at Royal London Asset Management.
- • Robbert Zoet joined as Head of Real Asset Distribution, leading a team of four senior business development professionals and reporting directly to Edmond de Rothschild's global head of distribution Marie Jacot, with responsibility for direct client coverage across all international markets.
- • The dual hires signal Edmond de Rothschild's strategic expansion of its REIM capabilities across Europe, with focus on enhanced investor exposure to impact-driven UK living sectors and broader real assets distribution infrastructure.
Summary
Edmond de Rothschild's Real Estate Investment Management division has bolstered its leadership structure with two senior appointments based in London, reflecting the firm's strategic commitment to strengthening its real estate capabilities across Europe. DJ Dhananjai has been appointed Chief Investment Officer of Edmond de Rothschild REIM UK, reporting to the business unit's chairman John Partridge. In this role, Dhananjai will lead the UK operation, which specializes in residential investment including affordable housing and build-to-rent assets, while simultaneously joining the firm's European leadership team with responsibility for servicing investors seeking enhanced exposures to impact-focused UK living sector investments.
Dhananjai's appointment represents a significant competitive hire given his deep sector experience. Over more than 25 years working across public and private sector living spaces, he previously served as head of living at Royal London Asset Management. His most recent substantial experience comes from 14 years at CBRE Investment Management, where he managed global segregated account client portfolios before establishing a dedicated UK residential platform. At CBRE, Dhananjai held full responsibility for capital raising, product development, investment strategy, and capital deployment for an affordable housing-focused fund. Prior to CBRE, he held senior management positions at Homes England and worked as a regeneration and regional economic specialist in the Thames Gateway region, indicating deep operational knowledge of UK residential development dynamics.
Complementing this appointment, Edmond de Rothschild named Robbert Zoet as Head of Real Asset Distribution. Zoet will oversee a team of four senior business development professionals dedicated to real assets investment strategies and will report to Marie Jacot, the firm's global head of distribution. His mandate encompasses direct client coverage responsibility, product specialist advisory services, and coordination across the asset manager's international distribution teams, positioning the firm to scale its real assets offering across global markets.
These hires represent part of Edmond de Rothschild's broader push to develop its Real Estate Investment Management platform across European markets, indicating the firm's intention to deepen institutional investor access to impact-oriented real estate strategies in the UK and elsewhere.
Dhananjai's appointment represents a significant competitive hire given his deep sector experience. Over more than 25 years working across public and private sector living spaces, he previously served as head of living at Royal London Asset Management. His most recent substantial experience comes from 14 years at CBRE Investment Management, where he managed global segregated account client portfolios before establishing a dedicated UK residential platform. At CBRE, Dhananjai held full responsibility for capital raising, product development, investment strategy, and capital deployment for an affordable housing-focused fund. Prior to CBRE, he held senior management positions at Homes England and worked as a regeneration and regional economic specialist in the Thames Gateway region, indicating deep operational knowledge of UK residential development dynamics.
Complementing this appointment, Edmond de Rothschild named Robbert Zoet as Head of Real Asset Distribution. Zoet will oversee a team of four senior business development professionals dedicated to real assets investment strategies and will report to Marie Jacot, the firm's global head of distribution. His mandate encompasses direct client coverage responsibility, product specialist advisory services, and coordination across the asset manager's international distribution teams, positioning the firm to scale its real assets offering across global markets.
These hires represent part of Edmond de Rothschild's broader push to develop its Real Estate Investment Management platform across European markets, indicating the firm's intention to deepen institutional investor access to impact-oriented real estate strategies in the UK and elsewhere.
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