Starwood Capital Appoints Rodolfo Senra and Vitor Senra to Oversee New Office/Expansion of Starwood Capital Group Into Brazil

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Aug 10, 2010, 08:00 ET

GREENWICH, Conn., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Starwood Capital Group, a leading global private equity firm focused on real estate and energy investing, announced today that Rodolfo Senra and Vitor Senra will join the company to open Starwood's first office in Brazil headquartered in Sao Paolo. As Directors of Starwood Capital do Brasil, Ltda, the two executives will be responsible for expanding Starwood's presence in the fast-growing Brazil region, leading its acquisition and asset management activities there and managing the Brazil asset management group. Messrs Senra both join Starwood Capital do Brazil Limitada from Sollers Investimentos, a Brazilian real estate investment firm focused on the office, warehouse and residential markets. The two men founded the firm in 2009. Rodolfo and Vitor will be joined by Ryan Hawley, a member of the acquisitions team in Starwood's Greenwich headquarters. Ryan has been with Starwood since January 2006 and most recently served as assistant to the CEO, Barry Sternlicht. Together with the Senras, Ryan will oversee the acquisitions and asset management activities of Starwood Capital do Brasil, Ltda.

"After several years spent studying the Brazil property market and an extensive executive search, we are delighted to announce the opening of our Brazil office and the appointment of Rodolfo and Vitor to head our expansion into the property markets of Brazil," said Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group. "They are seasoned executives with successful track records in the Brazilian real estate market and a history of entrepreneurial achievement, commitment to client service and critical knowledge of the local markets that will serve Starwood Capital Group and its investors well as we seek to capitalize on the terrific opportunities in this burgeoning region. This is Starwood's tenth office and fifth international location, joining our presence in Tokyo, Mumbai, Paris and London."

Prior to founding Sollers Investimentos, Rodolfo Senra served as the Chief Investment Officer at Sao Carlos S.A., a leading real estate investment company, where he was responsible for acquisitions and the demobilization of properties. Prior to joining Sao Carlos, Mr. Senra worked as a senior consultant at Ernst & Young's Real Estate Advisory Services Department and as a project supervisor at Birmann S.A., a local commercial and residential development. He received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Universidade Mackenzie and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

Vitor Senra, prior to founding Sollers Investimentos, was part of the acquisitions team of GoldenTree InSite Partners, a New York-based real estate private equity firm, where he managed approximately R$400MM of equity investment in the Brazilian office and residential markets. Previously, Mr. Senra worked at Banco Santander, where he originated over R$300MM in construction loans and project finance deals to real estate developers. Mr. Senra began his career at Company S.A., a real estate developer, as a project manager. He received a BS in Civil Engineering from Universidade Mackenzie and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Ryan Hawley joined the Starwood acquisitions team in 2006 from the real estate group of Bear Stearns where he was an analyst for two years. Ryan received a B.A. in Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley. Ryan also received an M.S. in Political Economy from London School of Economics.

About Starwood Capital Group

Starwood Capital Group is a private, U.S.-based investment firm with a core focus on global real estate. Since the group's inception in 1991, the firm, through its various funds, has invested more than $6 billion of equity capital, representing $21 billion in assets. Starwood Capital Group currently has approximately $14 billion of assets under management. Starwood Capital Group maintains offices in Greenwich, Atlanta, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and affiliated offices in London, Luxembourg, Mumbai and Tokyo. Starwood Capital Group has invested in nearly every class of real estate on a global basis, including office, retail, residential, senior housing, golf, hotels, resorts and industrial assets. Starwood Capital Group and its affiliates have successfully executed an investment strategy that includes building enterprises around core real estate portfolios in both the private and public markets.