Harrison Street boosts European arm with new hires
Alternatives investment manager Harrison Street has bolstered its European asset management and transaction teams with two senior appointments.
Amy Tonnessen, formerly senior asset manager at Franklin Templeton Investments, has joined the firm as a director in the European asset management team.
In her previous role, Tonnessen was responsible for the management of European properties and for overseeing joint venture investments.
Alternatives investment manager Harrison Street has bolstered its European asset management and transaction teams with two senior appointments.
Amy Tonnessen, formerly senior asset manager at Franklin Templeton Investments, has joined the firm as a director in the European asset management team.
In her previous role, Tonnessen was responsible for the management of European properties and for overseeing joint venture investments.
Before joining Franklin Templeton, she was a senior asset manager at Heitman in Europe and worked on investments across multiple geographies and property sectors, including self-storage and senior housing.
Vanisha Thakrar, who was previously a senior associate in Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s real estate investment group, has joined the firm as a vice-president in the transactions group.
At CPPIB, Thakrar worked on establishing joint ventures, underwriting new investments and managing CPPIB’s existing investments. She also served on the board of directors for various jv companies and as a board observer for CPPIB’s student housing platform.
Before her role at CPPIB, Thakrar was a vice-president on the real estate investment banking team at Macquarie, where she focused on M&A transactions, capital raising and principal investments.
Both Tonnessen and Thakrar are based in the firm’s London office.
The hires come after Paul Bashir joined the firm in April from Round Hill Capital, taking up the role of chief executive of Europe.
Christopher Merrill, Harrison Street’s co-founder, chairman and chief executive, said: “The additions of Amy and Vanisha strengthen our European team and reflect Harrison Street’s commitment to expanding our presence across the UK, Ireland and broader continent.”
In May, the firm also appointed Jonathan Turnbull as its new managing director of Canadian transactions.
Since establishing its European platform in 2015, Harrison Street has invested around €2.5bn (£2.2bn) in the student accommodation and private rented sectors.
In recent times it has entered the European life sciences sector with the acquisition of five life sciences and innovation properties, the largest portfolio of its kind in the UK.
The firm currently manages more than 13,000 student housing beds, 1,700 build-to-rent units and 1.7m sq ft of life sciences real estate in Europe.
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