M&G has appointed Duncan Batty as head of real estate finance after he previously spent 12 years with the firm.
Batty will take up the role on 2 November and report to M&G’s global head Martin Towns. With more than 20 years of experience, Batty re-joins the firm from Revolut, where he serves as head of commercial real estate lending.
He first joined M&G in 2012 as director, before his appointed as co-head of its real estate finance team in 2021.
Prior to M&G, Batty worked as a real estate finance lawyer advising lenders and borrowers across a range of UK and European transactions.
“I’m delighted to be returning to M&G and to lead the real estate finance business at an important point in the market cycle,” he said.
“As banks have retrenched from parts of the market and a significant refinancing requirement comes through, there is a real opportunity for experienced alternative lenders to provide the capital borrowers need while giving institutional clients access to attractive risk-adjusted returns.
“M&G’s long experience across market cycles, combined with the depth of expertise across the Real Estate Finance team and the wider real estate platform, positions us well to identify and structure those opportunities for clients.”
Towns added: “Duncan’s combination of deep real estate credit expertise, longstanding client relationships and valuable external experience makes him exceptionally well placed to lead the business. Having been instrumental in its development, he brings both continuity and fresh perspective as the team looks to capture the significant opportunities ahead.”
Last month, M&G issued its first, €500m (£428.4m) green bond on behalf of its €5.4bn (£4.63bn) European Property Fund, to raise additional capital for investment, refinancing and acquisitions.
