SVPGlobal Expands Team Dedicated to Special Situations Investments in Global Real Estate Market

GREENWICH, Conn., Oct. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SVPGlobal, a global investment firm focused on distressed debt, special situations and private equity opportunities, with more than $18 billion in assets under management, today announced a number of steps it has taken to expand its Real Estate team and capture real estate investment opportunities across the U.S. and Europe.

SVPGlobal appointed Sujan Patel as Head of Real Estate in late 2020. Previously, Mr. Patel served as Managing Director and Co-Head of U.S. Investment Management at Colony Capital Inc., now named DigitalBridge Group, Inc., having cut his teeth in the business at the NorthStar companies, where he served as Managing Director and Co-Head of Investments, working at the firm from 2007.  SVPGlobal has now named Anders Hemmingsen and Joseph Pontrello as Managing Directors in London and Greenwich, respectively. Mr. Hemmingsen and Mr. Pontrello will play critical roles in sourcing, evaluating, and executing investment opportunities for SVPGlobal's rapidly growing Real Estate platform, as well as offering support and insights to the firm's existing investments. These appointments bring SVPGlobal's Real Estate team to seven members, with plans for further growth in the near term.

Victor Khosla, SVPGlobal's Founder and Chief Investment Officer, said, "The current break in the real estate market is presenting SVPGlobal with compelling investment opportunities. The sector experience provided by Sujan, Anders, Joseph, and the rest of our Real Estate team will accelerate our pursuit of these opportunities during this pivotal period. As this team continues to expand, we are well positioned to take advantage of the current market."

In addition to the appointments of Messrs. Hemmingsen and Pontrello, SVPGlobal recently hired Dan Raffe as Managing Director on the North America Investment Team focusing on managing real estate assets. The firm also named Jeff Johnson to its Advisory Council to assist the real estate franchise in North America.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, SVPGlobal has deployed approximately $1.6 billion into distressed real estate opportunities. Most notably, SVPGlobal is leading Washington Prime Group's successful Chapter 11 reorganization, which was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court on September 3, 2021. As WPG's largest creditor, SVPGlobal led a $100 million  DIP financing facility to support WPG's day-to-day operations and is backstopping a $325 million equity rights offering. As a result of the restructuring, WPG's balance sheet will be de-levered by nearly $1 billion through a debt equitization that will result in SVPGlobal controlling the company.

Additional information on Messrs. Hemmingsen, Pontrello, Raffe and Johnson follows below:

Anders Hemmingsen, Managing Director. Mr. Hemmingsen joins SVPGlobal from Deutsche Bank where he served as head of CRE Special Situations Europe, a team focused on commercial real estate and distressed debt. At Deutsche Bank, he led the acquisition of several billion Euros of non-performing loans in the CRE space. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Mr. Hemmingsen held various positions at HSBC in both Canada and London in real estate finance and investment banking.

Joseph Pontrello, Managing Director. Mr. Pontrello joins SVPGlobal from Fortress Investment Group where he held various roles, most recently serving as Managing Director in the Real Estate and Credit Funds. During this time, he contributed to the sourcing, execution, and realization of several billion dollars in complex opportunistic debt and equity transactions across various commercial real estate and related asset classes. Mr. Pontrello began his career at Credit Suisse as an investment banking associate where he rotated through the leverage finance and financial institutions groups. 

Dan Raffe, Managing Director and Senior Operating Partner, Real Estate. Prior to joining SVPGlobal, Mr. Raffe was Global Head of Portfolio/Asset Management at Colony NorthStar, where he assisted in growing the company to over $20 billion in real estate assets under management and was responsible for Portfolio/Asset Management throughout the U.S. and Europe. Prior to Colony Northstar, Mr. Raffe served as Managing Director of the Financial Consulting Group at Cushman & Wakefield, Vice President of Structured Finance and Equity Investments at GE Business Property, and a Senior Vice President at USBX.

Jeff Johnson, Advisory Council, Member. Mr. Johnson has more than 24 years of experience in the real estate investment arena and has held various executive positions during his time in the industry. He was the Managing Partner for Lakeshore Holdings, LLC, a real estate private equity firm and CEO of Black Creek Diversified Property Fund, the largest public NAV REIT in the United States. Mr. Johnson also served as Chief Investment Officer and Chairman of the Investment Committee at Equity Office Properties Trust and its predecessors from 1990 to 1999 and from 2003 until EOP was acquired in 2007 by Blackstone Group for $39 billion. From 2000 to 2003, he was a founding Partner, Managing Director and Co-Head of U.S. Investments for Lehman Brothers' first global real estate private equity fund.

About SVPGlobal
Strategic Value Partners, LLC and its affiliates ("SVPGlobal") is a global investment firm focused on distressed debt, special situations and private equity opportunities, with more than $18 billion in assets under management. The firm, established by Victor Khosla in 2001, has approximately 130 employees, including approximately 50 investment professionals, across its main offices in Greenwich (CT), London and Tokyo. It was among the earliest U.S. distressed firms to establish a European presence, opening in London in 2004. In total, SVPGlobal has invested more than $36 billion of capital since its inception in 2001, including $16 billion in Europe, and led over 150 significant transactions. SVPGlobal is a signatory of the United Nations supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The PRI is recognized as the leading global network for investors committed to integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into their investment decision making. Learn more at www.svpglobal.com.

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