Norges Bank Investment Management has appointed Alexander Knapp as global head of real estate, effective June 16.
Knapp will lead the $1.75T Government Pension Fund Global’s listed and unlisted real estate investments, including strategy implementation. He will report to Pedro Furtado Reis, co-chief investment officer for active equities, and will be based in London.
“We believe [Knapp] has both the strategic mindset and leadership style needed to excel in this demanding role,” said Furtado Reis, in a press release. “He brings extensive investment experience and a global perspective.”
The position has been open since last year, when the Norges Bank merged its real assets and equity investments units and Mie Caroline Holstad, its CIO of real assets, left the fund. Soon after, the investment organization launched a search for a new global head to spearhead the real estate team.
The fund has 1.9% allocated to unlisted real estate, as of March 31.
Prior to joining the sovereign wealth fund, Knapp served as the $90.1B Hines’ CIO of Europe, where he was also a member of the global investment and executive committees. In September, the firm disclosed its shift to a global leadership team, rather than regional CIOs and hired Alfonso Munk and Chiang Ling Ng as co-heads of the investment team.
Knapp earned his master’s degree in real estate development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
