CAPRA Global Partners forms secondaries division

The placement agent and real estate investment advisor has hired ex-JLL corporate finance executive Ashley Marks to extend into real estate secondaries and fund restructurings.

Private real estate advisory firm CAPRA Global Partners has hired Ashley Marks, formerly of JLL Corporate Finance, as director.

The London-based firm said it had hired Marks to lead the creation of a real estate secondary market and fund restructuring business.

Before his nine-year stint at JLL, where Marks ran the private funds advisory team, he spent two years at Cushman & Wakefield in its indirect investment team. Before then, he spent five years working in New York with hedge funds and private equity funds.

Marks has been responsible for over $5 billion of transactions including secondaries market acquisitions and sales, capital raises and fund recapitalisations. He has also advised on more than $3 billion in fund acquisitions, fund pricing and portfolio monitoring roles.

Marks, who sits on the European Association for Investors in Non-Listed Real Estate Vehicles’ Secondary Market Committee, said: “I am very excited to join a team comprised of such experienced and respected talent and look forward to contributing to a market leading specialist advisory firm.”

Anthony Biddulph, chief executive officer of CAPRA, said: “Ashley brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in the unlisted funds market, in particular in the areas of fund restructuring and secondary market advisory services. These are maturing areas of the market and will greatly compliment the market leading debt and equity raising advisory services we offer to our clients.”

CAPRA was formed in 2012 by Biddulph and Nick Ridgewell and has provided advice and secured investor commitments of over €1 billion for clients since 2014.

The firm’s client base includes public pension funds, corporate pension funds, endowments and foundations, funds of funds, sovereign wealth funds and investment consultants in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.