Europe Real Estate - Where Are We With Debt Leveraging & Competitive Pricing?

Ali Imraan serves as Head of European Real Estate Credit at KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts), a leading global investment firm. In this role, he oversees real estate credit strategies across European markets, leveraging extensive expertise in commercial real estate financing and debt markets. Imraan brings significant experience in structuring and executing complex real estate transactions, with a focus on optimizing risk-adjusted returns for institutional investors. His leadership encompasses portfolio management, credit analysis, and strategic business development within KKR's real estate platform, contributing to the firm's growth in European real estate debt markets.

Andrea Bora is a Managing Director in Goldman Sachs Real Estate Finance team, he is located in London and co-heads the firm's EMEA CRE debt team, focusing on distribution. Andrea joined the firm from Morgan Stanley where he worked for 7 years in CRE finance mainly within the ELOC CMBS program and prior to that he was for 5 years at Bear Stearns on a similar role. Andrea has extensive experience in all aspects of CRE finance including origination, structuring and distribution. From his current role Andrea has recently run distribution of debt transactions in various jurisdictions including UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Benelux and Poland.

Bryan is a managing director, head of the U.S. debt business, and chair of global debt for PGIM Real Estate. Based in Arlington, Bryan is responsible for overseeing PGIM Real Estate’s global debt strategy and execution, including oversight of U.S. real estate debt portfolio management, originations and credit teams, the agency lending business, and the agricultural finance and investments strategies. Bryan chairs the U.S. Debt Executive Council and is a member of the Global Investment Committee, the Global Management Council and the Global Operating Risk Committee.

Dale Lattanzio is the Managing Partner of DRC Capital, a dedicated investment advisor specialising in European real estate debt. The DRC team, having created the real estate debt investment platform while at Duet Private Equity, are investment advisors to the European Real Estate Debt Fund I and II, European Real Estate Senior Debt Program and Duet Real Estate Finance (DREF;LN) a London Stock Exchange listed company, as well as various managed accounts. Dale has held senior management positions in real estate and capital markets for over 20 years and was formerly Co-Head of Global Commercial Real Estate at Merrill Lynch.

Duncan MacPherson is a Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets, International for Starwood Capital Group. In this role, Mr. MacPherson is responsible for all debt capital markets activities for Starwood Capital in Europe, including financing, foreign exchange and interest rate hedging for the Firm’s European investments. He is a member of Starwood’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining Starwood Capital in 2012, Mr. MacPherson spent six years at Citigroup, where he served as a Director on the commercial real estate finance team in London. Before that, he held a number of roles at Barclays Capital, including trading bond options on the exotic interest rate derivatives desk, and developing real-timing pricing and risk systems for the firm’s electronic trading platform. Mr. MacPherson received a B.S. degree in physics from the University of Edinburgh and an M.S. in information technology systems from the University of Strathclyde.

John Barakat is a Partner at Girona Partners LLP, a UK-based investment and advisory firm. With extensive experience in private equity and corporate finance, he specializes in cross-border transactions and strategic investments across various sectors. Barakat has a proven track record of identifying growth opportunities and managing complex deal structures. His expertise spans mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and capital raising initiatives. At Girona Partners, he plays a key role in sourcing and executing investment opportunities while providing strategic guidance to portfolio companies. His professional background combines deep financial acumen with strong relationship management skills, making him a valuable asset in the competitive investment landscape.

John Ruane is a Partner and Co-Head of European Real Estate at Ares Management, a position he has held since 2013. He is also a member of the Ares Real Estate Group's Global, Operating, and Debt Investment Committees, demonstrating his significant involvement in the firm's real estate investment strategies. Before joining Ares, Mr. Ruane served as a Partner at AREA Property Partners from 2002 to 2013. His career began as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions department at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Ruane holds a Bachelor of Commerce from University College Dublin and an M.Sc. in Finance and Accounting from the London School of Economics.

Michael Nagelberg is a Managing Director in the Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies Group, based in London. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Nagelberg was a Principal at TPG and was responsible for originating, acquiring, and structuring real estate debt investments across various property types in the United States. Prior to TPG, Mr. Nagelberg was an Associate in Deutsche Bank’s Real Estate Special Situations Group where he was involved in loan origination, acquisition, and asset management. Mr. Nagelberg started his career with Antares and then Warburg Pincus focusing on real estate investment, development, and underwriting.

Struan Bryer Robertson serves as Chairman of EMEA Real Estate, Gaming & Lodging at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the UK. With extensive experience in investment banking and capital markets, he leads the firm's strategic initiatives across European, Middle Eastern, and African markets within the real estate, gaming, and hospitality sectors. Robertson brings deep expertise in complex financial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and capital raising activities. His leadership encompasses advising major institutional clients and corporations on strategic financial decisions, leveraging Bank of America Merrill Lynch's global platform to deliver comprehensive investment banking solutions across these specialized industry verticals.