The move comes after HSBC AM put all its alternative investment capabilities under one roof in June this year.

HSBC Asset Management, part of HSBC, has appointed a new direct real estate team as part of its strategy to build out its alternatives business.

Based in Singapore, the team will be led by Victoria Sharpe, managing principal and head of real estate, Asia-Pacific, who joined HSBC AM on 1 September. Reporting to Joanna Munro, CEO of HSBC Alternatives, Sharpe will be responsible for the strategic growth of the firm’s real estate platform across the region, the bank said in a statement yesterday.

Sharpe brings nearly 40 years’ investment experience in real estate, investing on behalf of institutional investors globally. She has joined from DWS, where she had been responsible for building and leading its Asia-Pacific Real Estate business since 2016. Prior to DWS, she spent 16 years with PGIM, the last 11 years based in Singapore, as head of real estate, Asia-Pacific. She also served in senior investment roles at LaSalle Investment Management and Northern Trust Co, in Chicago and New York.

Lionel Low and James Bartlett have joined as managing principals, reporting to Sharpe. They have more than 40 years of combined experience in the real estate sector and started their new roles on 2 August. Low joined from Ascendas Asia Real Estate Fund Management (the regional investment manager of CapitaLand), where he had worked in a number of roles since 2013, most recently executive director and prior to this, head of China Funds. Bartlett has joined from DWS, where he was real estate deputy CIO, Asia-Pacific and head of real estate, Australia.

In Singapore, the team will work with and report locally to Patrice Conxicoeur, Singapore CEO and head of Southeast Asia, HSBC AM, to grow the real estate proposition. 

In June this year, HSBC AM folded its alternatives capabilities under a single business unit, HSBC alternatives, with a 150-strong team and combined assets under management and advice of $45 billion.