Former Cromwell quartet launches European firm
Four former managers of Cromwell Property Group and Valad Europe, which was acquired by Cromwell, have reunited to form a pan-European real estate investment management firm focusing on the industrial, office and infrastructure sectors.
MC Property has been set up by Mark McLaughlin, former European managing director of Cromwell; Rob Cotterell, former head of investment for Europe and head of UK; Wouter Zwetsloot, former head of real estate Europe and head of Benelux; and Martin Hanratty, who was a fund manager at Valad Europe and, more recently, a property director at BizSpace.
Each partner has more than 20 years’ experience working in the European real estate market with partners such as Blackstone, Cerberus, Goldman Sachs and Carlyle.
Four former managers of Cromwell Property Group and Valad Europe, which was acquired by Cromwell, have reunited to form a pan-European real estate investment management firm focusing on the industrial, office and infrastructure sectors.
MC Property has been set up by Mark McLaughlin, former European managing director of Cromwell; Rob Cotterell, former head of investment for Europe and head of UK; Wouter Zwetsloot, former head of real estate Europe and head of Benelux; and Martin Hanratty, who was a fund manager at Valad Europe and, more recently, a property director at BizSpace.
Each partner has more than 20 years’ experience working in the European real estate market with partners such as Blackstone, Cerberus, Goldman Sachs and Carlyle.
McLaughlin and Zwetsloot will be based in the Netherlands, while Cotterell and Hanratty will be based in the UK. They will work with Thomas Heidelberger, their operating partner in Germany and former development executive at Valad Europe.
MC Property will create bespoke strategies for its institutional, private equity and high-net-worth investors, providing the full range of services in investment, asset and development management.
The initial focus will be on value-add and opportunistic investments in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany through developing or repositioning logistics facilities, office buildings and infrastructure mobility hubs, which combine physical infrastructure, energy, storage and electric charging.
McLaughlin said: “The four of us have a huge amount of experience gained through multiple property cycles working with different types of capital. We now firmly believe that this is an opportune time to return to the market and build a team with no legacy issues to generate superior returns.
“There has been significant disruption over the last years which has left the market in a challenging position for both investors and tenants. Structural changes, such as working from home, ESG and net zero, that you would expect to take decades to come through, have happened in years. All this has created a dislocated market which presents opportunities for the smart investor and operator.”
Valad Europe was acquired by Cromwell in 2015.
Left to right Mark McLaughlin, Rob Cotterell, Wouter Zwetsloot, Martin Hanratty © MC Property
