Battersea Power Station duo lead investor’s £380m UK debut

Former Battersea Power Station deputy head of legal Richard Benson and head of phase two Andrew Hilston are launching a £380m UK investment drive on behalf of US investor Ardent.  Ardent UK will comprise a £165m strategic acquisition fund and a £215m debt fund. Its acquisitions will be “sector-agnostic”. The business will focus on opportunities within “established” asset classes, where value-add initiatives can be applied. Ardent will also provide debt to the UK market and is currently raising its fourth debt fund – Ardent Financial Fund IV – to offer structured and mezzanine-level debt to both the US and UK real estate markets. Benson and Hilston, pictured, will operate as managing directors of the UK operations. The pair worked together for six years at Battersea, jointly seeking and executing the deal for the 500,000 sq ft office prelet to Apple. Benson said: “We have the capital and confidence from the US team to hit the ground running with our UK origination strategy, focusing on opportunities to invest in high-performing asset classes at a good entry rate, where we can scale up quickly and generate quality returns.” Founded in 2012, Ardent has invested more than $2.8bn with $1.3bn in assets under management. To send feedback, e-mail pui-guan.man@egi.co.uk or tweet @PuiGuanM or @estatesgazette Images courtesy of PR