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GRI Global Committee
Future Finance & Investment Chapter (October edition)
⚬ Finance and Investment Trends in Emerging Markets Post-COVID - Retail & e-commerce penetration
Thursday, 15th October
15:00 - 16:00 | British Summer Time (GMT+1)
Submit your interest (Non-members)
Participation is restricted to Committee Members only.
If you would prefer to contact us by email, please send to [email protected].
Our team will get in touch with you soon to confirm your participation
GRI Club's Global Committees set the professional standard for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing in order to identify new trends, capitalise on growth opportunities and aid dealflow discovery worldwide.
Curated purely by members, spanning 4 continents, 25+ countries, and across all asset classes, each global committee meets once per month via zoom to share current sentiment, investment appetite and debate where the market is going.
Participation is open and welcome to all GRI Club Members, under the wing of the specific committee chapter. Be part of the global dynamic exchange and always be present for the opportune moments in your asset and region.
The October Chapter will focus on the finance and investment landscape of emerging markets across the globe and in particular which trends can be identified post COVID that offer new opportunities. Despite lack of monetary and fiscal action to support the economies, cross border capital into emerging markets are taking advantage of domestic capital flows and incredibly low interest rate environments - especially in Latam and Brazil. Especially retail and the e-commerce boom during lockdown are key considerations for investors looking into emerging countries - where can international and domestic investors find opportunities and overcome local challenges?
Discussion
Special Guests
1
GRI Global Committee
Future Finance & Investment Chapter
Future Finance & Investment Chapter
Alessio
Lucentini
Managing Director, Investment and Asset management, Italy
HIG Capital
Amar
Merani
CIO and Head - Real Assets
Onterra Capital
Anas
Halabi
Co-founder & Head of Investments
Vennre
Audrey
Klein
Partner
Spencer House Partners
Balaji
Rao
Managing Partner
Axis AMC
Brandon
Hollihan
Founding Partner
Four Towers
Brian
Finerty
Chief Investment Officer
Green Courte Partners LLC
Chris
Zlatarev
Managing Director
H.I.G Capital
Christian
Zilly
Managing Partner
Waterway Investments
Dev
Santani
Managing Director - Special Investments
Brookfield Advisors India Private Ltd.
Diego
Fonseca
Managing Partner
Jive Investments
Federico
Bianchi
CEO
Ho Bee Land
Guillaume
Turcas
Managing Partner
Faro Capital Partners
Ivo
Kolev
Partner
Apollo Global Management
Iñaki
Parroquin
Co Founder
Tree Investments
James
Piper
Partner
TPG
Jonathan
Epstein
Managing Director
Bentall GreenOak
Jorge
Margain
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Dragon Capital
Joseph
De Leo
Senior Partner
PineBridge Benson Elliot
Joshua
Pristaw
Senior Managing Director
Clarion Partners
Kaushik
Desai
Managing Partner
Neo Alternative Asset Managers
Kevin
Cooper
Co-Head ICG Real Estate
ICG
Marcelo
Vainstein
Senior Managing Partner
Canuma Capital
Max
Lima
CEO
HSI
Peter
Plaut
Managing Director
BC Partners
Philip
Fitzgerald
CEO
7 Bridges Capital Partners
Submit your interest (Non-members)
Participation is restricted to Committee Members only.
If you would prefer to contact us by email, please send to [email protected].
Our team will get in touch with you soon to confirm your participation
Jesús Acosta
CEOGrupo Acosta Verde
Mexico
Jesús Acosta Castellanos served as CEO of Grupo Acosta Verde (MX) from 2015 until July 2025. With a career spanning over two decades at the company, he previously held the position of Commercial and Operations Director (2001-2015). An alumnus of ITESM with a Bachelor's in Business Administration and certifications from Harvard and Boston Universities, Mr. Acosta Castellanos now contributes his extensive experience to Grupo Acosta Verde's Board of Administration, continuing to influence its strategic direction in the Mexican commercial real estate sector.
John Lien
MD CEO of Greater ChinaDLJ Real Estate Capital Partners
China
Max Lima
CEOHSI
Brazil
Mr. Lima is CEO/CIO and a Board Member at Hemisfério Sul Investimentos. In 2003, Mr. Lima cofounded the real estate division at GP Investimentos, where he served as head of acquisitions. Prior to this, Mr. Lima had joined Rio Bravo’s real estate finance group in 2000, where he was responsible for structuring securities, including some of the first in the then-incipient Brazilian market. Over his career, Mr. Lima has invested over USD 2.0 billion of equity in 44 real estate transactions. Mr. Lima graduated from the University of Chicago in 1996 with a B.A. in Economics.
Alessio Lucentini
Managing Director, Investment and Asset management, ItalyHIG Capital
Italy
Alessio Lucentini joined EQT Partners in September 2019. Prior to joining EQT Partners, Alessio was Country Team Head and Managing Director of AXA Real Estate Investment Managers in Italy. Alessio was responsible for managing the Italian office and investments in the Italian market, increasing the portfolio and covering all asset classes, Prior to that Alessio held asset management and financial analyst positions at AIG/Lincoln and American JV, developing multi-classes real-estate projects. Alessio started his real estate career at Cushman & Wakefield in the valuation team, analysing single assets and portfolios in all Italian territory. Alessio holds a B.Sc in Economics from the University “La Sapienza” of Rome, Italy.
Amar Merani
CIO and Head - Real AssetsOnterra Capital
India
Since mid-2012, Amar has led Xander’s credit platform to a position where it has emerged as one of the few survivors in the high yield secured credit space in India. He brings with him over 25 years of investment banking, credit and consulting experience and has led several marquee M&A/PE transactions, IPOs and follow on equity offerings, as well as Project & Structured Finance transactions. From 2007 to early 2012, Amar headed the RE vertical of Kotak Investment Banking which raised over US$1.5 BB of equity for leading RE developers. He also led corporate restructuring and advisory assignments for leading RE and infrastructure groups. Earlier, Amar had worked for Lazard (Investment Banking), IL&FS (Project Finance) and PwC (Consulting).
Anas Halabi
Co-founder & Head of InvestmentsVennre
United Kingdom
Anas Halabi is Co-founder & Head of Investments at Vennre, a London-based real estate investment platform. He brings extensive experience in real estate finance and investment management, specializing in property technology and alternative investment solutions. At Vennre, Halabi leads investment strategy and portfolio management, focusing on democratizing real estate investing through innovative digital platforms. His expertise spans asset management, market analysis, and strategic partnerships within the PropTech sector. Halabi's leadership has been instrumental in Vennre's growth as a prominent player in the UK's digital real estate investment landscape.
Audrey Klein
PartnerSpencer House Partners
United Kingdom
Audrey Klein is a Partner at Spencer House Partners (www.spencerhousepartners.com) running the 3rd-party fundraising business and is based in London. Before SPH she held Head of Fundraising roles at several firms but is best known for starting the European business out of London for the Park Hill Real Estate Group, a Division of Blackstone, which she ran for 9 yrs. Prior to joining Park Hill, she ran her own business for 5 yrs marketing alternative asset funds across all asset classes to European investors comprised of pension funds, banks, family offices. She is a graduate of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of business where she received an MBA, and is also a graduate of Emory University with a degree in Economics. Audrey is on the Corporate Board of Great Ormond Street Hospital and is a Non-Exec Board Member at Thriving, SFO and Planet Smart City. She is a Trustee of ULI's Charitable Trust and is on the board of Verbier 3-D.
Balaji Rao
Managing PartnerAxis AMC
India
Balaji Rao is a seasoned and highly respected professional in the Indian real estate industry. He has recently joined Axis AMC to head their real estate AIF vertical. Balaji has undertaken various functional roles and assumed leadership in business development, acquisitions, project execution, funding (both equity and debt) and divestments. Over his career spanning nearly 3 decades, Balaji has worked with several marquee real estate investors including, Sun Apollo, Starwood Capital, TCG Real Estate amongst others.Balaji is a rank- holding Chartered Accountant and holds an MBA from IIM-Calcutta.He is also a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Brandon Hollihan
Founding PartnerFour Towers
United Kingdom
Brandon co-founded Castleforge Partners (formerly Mercer Real Estate Partners) in July 2010. Prior to founding Castleforge, Brandon worked for Westbrook Partners and Morgan Stanley Real Estate. Brandon has been involved in transacting over £1.5b of Real Estate asset value across the U.S. and Western Europe and has experience as both an advisor and an investor across a diverse range of investment types and asset classes. Castleforge Partners manages discretionary funds on behalf of a range of institutional investors and can invest across asset classes. It focuses thematically on select opportunity sets and seeks to generate high cash flow using operations.
Brian Finerty
Chief Investment OfficerGreen Courte Partners LLC
USA
As Chief Investment Officer, Brian Finerty leads Equity International’s Investments group, overseeing all investment activity and portfolio company management. Drawing from a deep network of relationships and experience in global markets, Brian is responsible for setting investment strategy and guiding the team in originating and executing deals. Brian is also a member of EI’s Management Committee and Investment Committee. Brian is a director of five EI portfolio companies: GuardeAqui, SAMHI, Decameron Hotel & Resorts, Estapar Estacionamentos, and ARG Realty. Brian earned an MBA in analytic finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BBA from the University of Michigan.
Chris Zlatarev
Managing DirectorH.I.G Capital
United Kingdom
Chris is responsible for investing and monitoring real estate investments across Europe. He has over ten years of principal investing experience across value added, opportunistic and distressed real estate strategies and has completed transactions for HIG in both direct acquisitions and non-performing loans across multiple real estate sectors and geographies. Previously, Chris was a Partner at Kildare Partners and also held investment roles at Varde Partners and AIG Global Real Estate. Chris holds an MBA from INSEAD and a BSc in Finance from Drexel University.
Christian Zilly
Managing PartnerWaterway Investments
Germany
Christian is a founding partner of Waterway Investments, manages the Frankfurt office and is responsible for all aspects of the transaction process on behalf of Waterway’s international client base. Prior to co-founding Waterway, Christian has worked for various American opportunity funds as well as German open-ended fund vehicles. He received a Master ´s in Economics from Freie Universität Berlin/Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil and a Master´s in Real Estate Economics from European Business School (ebs), Germany. Christian is fluent in German, English, French and Portuguese.
Dev Santani
Managing Director - Special InvestmentsBrookfield Advisors India Private Ltd.
India
Mr Dev Santani is a Senior Vice President with Brookfield Asset Management and heads the special opportunities and private credit business for Brookfield in the region. Dev is responsible for managing private equity and structured financing transactions across the international and domestic fund platform including residential real estate and also heads the third party fund “India Real Estate Opportunity Partners” (IREOP) in India. Mr Santani is responsible for overseeing several of the firm’s investments in India and managing the Joint venture partner relationships in the region. He has been a part of the Brookfield India team since January 2014.
Diego Fonseca
Managing PartnerJive Investments
Brazil
Managing Partner, responsible for Real Estate, Investor Relations, Finance & Operations areas, he joined Jive after 11 yrs of experience at Credit Suisse Hedging-Griffo (CSHG). As a MD, his last responsibility at CSHG was COO and Head of Products for the Private Bank. Prior to CSHG, he worked in the Corporate & Investment Bank division of ABN AMRO Bank in Brazil for 5 yrs actively participating in several Structured Loans, M&A, portfolio assignments and capital market deals. Previously, he worked at Rio Bravo Investimentos as a structured finance analyst. He holds a BA in Business Administration from FGV-EAESP, BA of Law from (USP), MBA in Banking from Fundação Dom Cabral and a postgraduate degree in Tax Law from FGV-EDESP.
Federico Bianchi
CEOHo Bee Land
United Kingdom
Mr Federico Bianchi joined Ho Bee Land in February 2025 as the CEO in the United Kingdom. He is responsible for overseeing the Group’s operations in the UK.
Guillaume Turcas
Managing PartnerFaro Capital Partners
France
Guillaume has a 20-year+ experience in the real estate industry and is Managing Partner at FARO CAPITAL PARTNERS, a boutique real estate investment and asset management company. He held senior positions at AEW and CBRE Global Investment Management from 2005 to 2017. Fellow member of the RICS, Guillaume holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from ESTP and a Master’s Degree in Finance and Real Estate from Paris Dauphine University – where he is also a lecturer since 2013.
FARO CAPITAL PARTNERS is an affiliate of SIOR
Ivo Kolev
PartnerApollo Global Management
United Kingdom
Mr. Kolev is a Partner at Apollo. Since joining the firm in 2012, he has been responsible for distressed debt and equity investments in real estate and asset heavy operating companies and has led the team’s investments in leisure and hospitality in Europe. Previously, Mr. Kolev worked on executing special situations investments for Lone Star Funds including acquisitions of distressed real estate and corporate loans and assets across Europe. Prior to that, he held investment roles at State Street and Merrill Lynch in the US and Europe. Mr. Kolev holds double BA degree in Economics and Mathematics from St. Lawrence University in New York and is a CFA charterholder.
Iñaki Parroquin
Co FounderTree Investments
Mexico
Iñaki Parroquin is CEO and co-founder of Tree Investments. Among its main functions is establishing investment objectives within the company, as well as leading its team towards the fulfillment of said objectives. Before founding Tree Investments, Iñaki worked at CEMEX México as a member of the analysis and structuring team for real estate and infrastructure projects. Iñaki has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.
James Piper
PartnerTPG
United Kingdom
Mr. Piper is a Partner, Co-Head of Europe and member of TPG Real Estate’s Investment Committee, based in London. Prior to joining TPG, he was a Partner in the Real Estate Group at Ares Management, where he spent 12 years, before which he was a member of the European Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Credit Suisse. He received a Masters degree in Physics from the University of Cambridge, where he graduated with First Class Honours. He is also a trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Royal Trinity Hospice, a charity providing care and support for those with life-limiting conditions in London.
Jonathan Epstein
Managing DirectorBentall GreenOak
USA
Jonathan Epstein is a Managing Partner at BentallGreenOak responsible for the firm’s Investing activities in the Western US and all Core Plus investing initiatives in the United States. Prior to the merger of Bentall Kennedy and GreenOak Real Estate in 2019, Jonathan led GreenOak’s investment efforts in the western United States and was responsible for the firm’s investment strategy, sourcing, structuring, and asset management for the western region.
Jorge Margain
Co-Founder & Managing PartnerDragon Capital
Mexico
Jorge has over 15 years (two real estate cycles) of experience investing, managing, and divesting real estate assets in Mexico. He has been involved in transactions totaling over $3 billion, focusing on acquisition, development, disposition, financing, and asset management. Before founding Dragón Capital, he served as Managing Director of Ivanhoé Cambridge Mexico for over five years. He also worked as Head of Transactions for Mexico at PGIM Real Estate, Senior Director at Tishman Speyer, Director at Tresalia Real Estate, Associate at AREA Property Partners, and intern at AMB Property Partners. Jorge holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from ITAM and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Joseph De Leo
Senior PartnerPineBridge Benson Elliot
United Kingdom
Joseph has over 20 years’ experience in the real estate industry across Europe and North America. Joseph joined Benson Elliot in 2008 and co-heads all investment and asset management activity. Before joining Benson Elliot, he was a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group in Frankfurt, Germany where he built and managed a team of 40 real estate professionals with investments of €5.5bn, and led c. €700m of exits and re-financings. Prior to joining Fortress, Joseph was a Vice President at Oxford Properties Group in Toronto, Canada and worked at Borealis Capital Corp, where he managed a C$3.8bn retail investment business.
Joshua Pristaw
Senior Managing DirectorClarion Partners
USA
Josh Pristaw is a co-founder and Senior Managing Director of GTIS, and a member of the General Partner’s Investment Committee. Mr. Pristaw’s primary responsibilities include overseeing the global capital markets group and running the firm’s Brazil business including acquisitions, asset management and portfolio management. Mr. Pristaw’s experience in the real estate industry began in 1997. Prior to joining GTIS, Mr. Pristaw was a Principal and Co-Head of Acquisitions for Coventry Real Estate Advisors, a real estate private equity firm focused on US retail real estate including ground up development of shopping centers, mall redevelopment and the repositioning of surplus real estate from failed retailers.
Kaushik Desai
Managing PartnerNeo Alternative Asset Managers
India
Kaushik Desai is currently Managing Partner of WSB Partners (formerly 'Walton Street India'). He is responsible for strategic initiatives of the group and managing key relationship with investors, funds and intermediaries. He is responsible for the Debt strategy in residential real estate. He brings in substantial experience in transaction structuring and helps to evaluate new investment opportunities. Prior to joining WSB, he was with Deutsche Bank, Edelweiss Capital and Dawnay Day AV Group. Kaushik is a Chartered Accountant and a Company Secretary and holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce from University of Mumbai.
Kevin Cooper
Co-Head ICG Real EstateICG
United Kingdom
Kevin is Co-Head of ICGRE, managing responsibility for Sale & Leaseback, Development Finance & Private Equity strategies. Kevin previously held responsibility for the Partnership Capital investment strategy. He is a Member of the ICGRE IC, AM IC & ICG Management Committee. In 2006 Kevin co-founded Longbow Real Estate Capital, a real estate private capital business, which was acquired by ICG in 2011. Prior to joining ICG, Kevin was a Managing Director at GMAC & lead the market entry and expansion of GMAC’s U.K. real estate debt business (2002-2006). Prior to joining GMAC, Kevin was a Founder Member of the Structured Property Finance business for Halifax from 1998-2002. Kevin began his career as a trainee corporate banker at Barclays.
Marcelo Vainstein
Senior Managing PartnerCanuma Capital
Brazil
CEO & Senior Partner at Canuma Capital, an alternative investment management firm focused primarily on Real Estate. Previously, he was CIO of Brookfield Property Group in Brazil, managing a portfolio of R$11 billion. Over the last seven years he concluded transactions totaling R$9 bilion. Before Brookfield, Vainstein worked as investment banker for Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley (Director/Managing Director). He holds a bachelor´s degree in Business from PUC-SP
Max Lima
CEOHSI
Brazil
Mr. Lima is CEO/CIO and a Board Member at Hemisfério Sul Investimentos. In 2003, Mr. Lima cofounded the real estate division at GP Investimentos, where he served as head of acquisitions. Prior to this, Mr. Lima had joined Rio Bravo’s real estate finance group in 2000, where he was responsible for structuring securities, including some of the first in the then-incipient Brazilian market. Over his career, Mr. Lima has invested over USD 2.0 billion of equity in 44 real estate transactions. Mr. Lima graduated from the University of Chicago in 1996 with a B.A. in Economics.
Peter Plaut
Managing DirectorBC Partners
Monaco
Peter is a dual American and British citizen who splits his time between New York and London—but his true home is wherever bold ideas are being built. He’s traveled to more than 65 countries, often venturing into the world’s most remote corners. That global curiosity has shaped a 30-year career focused on helping visionary founders turn world-changing ideas into investable, scalable realities.
A recognized leader in global finance, Peter has worked across the buy-side and sell-side, earning accolades including “Top Rising Stars of Hedge Funds,” “Institutional Investor All-American,” and “Euromoney Top Research Analyst.” He’s also held a term membership at the Council on Foreign Relations—testament to his credibility not only in markets,
Philip Fitzgerald
CEO7 Bridges Capital Partners
USA
Mr. Fitzgerald established 7 Bridges Capital Partners after his departure from Jamestown Latin America, which he founded in February 2013. Prior to his position as the CEO of Jamestown Latin America, Mr. Fitzgerald was a partner with Paladin Realty Partners, where he served as managing director of emerging markets. In that role, Mr. Fitzgerald successfully led and managed investments centered on an extensive portfolio of more than 120 real estate assets located in seven Latin American countries. Prior to joining Paladin, Mr. Fitzgerald was a founding partner of the real estate investment firm Griffin Capital.
Participation is restricted to Committee Members only.
If you would prefer to contact us by email, please send to [email protected].
Gustavo Favaron
Gustavo Favaron
Global CEO
GRI Institute
+5519997673143
+44 2071215074
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Club Partners
Duff & Phelps
London, United KingdomDuff & Phelps REAG offers independent, specialized consultancy in connection with real estate investments, valuation, asset and portfolio management.
Grupo Souza Lima
São Paulo, SP, BrazilGrupo Souza Lima is recognized in the national market of security and outsourced services (concierge, cleaning and facilities) as a company of operational excellence with complete and innovative solutions and that has a special care with all employees. With 29 years of market and operating in 15 branches in 11 states, it is considered to be the fastest growing company in its segment with more than 22,000 trained and prepared employees who help in the efficient delivery of the services offered using the best market practices. Whether they are Patrimonial Security, Armed Escort, Electronic Security or other services known as facilities. Grupo Souza Lima DNA is directly linked to the commitment with the employees who make the difference in the day to day. In each action they carry all the values that brought the company to the current level of recognition. This attitude, attention and care make Souza Lima a different company. After all, our purpose is People, Caring for People.
Regus Mexico
Ciudad de Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico State, MexicoRegus is a global provider of work environments. Its network of more than 3,000 business centers in more than 104 countries. It provides convenient and high-quality spaces for people to work on, whether for minutes or years.
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Drooms
United KingdomDrooms is the leading provider of data rooms in Europe, connecting professionals and information in the worlds´ real capital markets. Our mission is to drive the transformation of manual processes into smart digital workstreams by connecting data and professionals across boundaries. We are expanding our tools and services around the globe through online, direct and indirect distribution channels with our passionate people, the main driver of our success.
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