(London) – Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc, announces it has added to its Real Estate Equity investment team with the appointment of George Richards as Director, Investment Manager.
Reporting to Julian Cobourne, Head of Regional Investment Management, George will be responsible for scaling up and driving the growth of Aviva Investors’ industrial and urban logistics real estate strategy, one of its key investment areas alongside the living sector and core office markets. He will also take charge of ongoing asset performance, building co-investment activities and managing strategic partnerships, as well as responsibility for the leasing of Aviva Investors’ 450,000 sq ft pipeline of industrial development assets. These include schemes developed in strategic partnership with Bell Hammer at Catalyst Park in Birmingham, Hortus at Raynes Park in South West London, and Slyfield Industrial Estate in Guildford.
George joins Aviva Investors from CBRE Investment Management where he spent nine years, including as Portfolio Manager for a corporate pension scheme client and Assistant Fund Manager on the CBRE UK Property Fund. During his career, he built experience across multiple real estate asset classes, with a particular focus on direct investment in the industrial and logistics sectors.
Julian Cobourne, Head of Regional Investment Management at Aviva Investors, said:
“George’s appointment reflects the growth in client demand for real estate strategies as part of increased allocations to Private Markets more generally, and we are very pleased to welcome him to the team. With our real estate investment portfolio and development pipeline continuing to grow, George’s arrival provides important expertise and experience to our industrial strategy, one of our key sectors and a core component of our portfolio. We believe he will bring a great deal of value and expertise as we continue building our development and origination capabilities which can support the delivery of long-term client outcomes.”
