As a member of the International Investments team, I’m responsible for taking deals through the initial opportunity phase all of the way through execution. This involves a number of stages, including initial screening, underwriting, structuring, negotiating transaction documents and closing.

 

In addition to the expected analytical underwrite for any transaction, relationship management is a critical piece of my day-to-day. We typically work with multiple stakeholders involved in the transaction (or prospecting opportunities) – including brokers, corporates (tenants) and private equity partners. It is important to manage the expectations of everyone involved and ensure we as a team work proactively to come up with solutions to challenges – part of every deal – that meet the needs of all parties, to drive a transaction forward.

Describe your career journey.

In my last role prior to W. P. Carey I worked at Hottinger, partner to Edmond de Rothschild Group, with a mandate to invest in private equity opportunities across various sectors. When the pandemic hit, new growth funding opportunities were largely put on hold and we had enough flexibility in our mandate to shift gears to explore other avenues of investing in the new environment, amongst them real estate-backed private loans within retail, hotels and social housing projects that were in need of funding.

This sparked my interest for real estate investing, through the lens of a credit-oriented investor. This made it really exciting when the opportunity to work at W. P. Carey came up, as I could combine the corporate underwriting I had learned in my prior experience with the tangible parameters of real estate that I enjoyed. The role felt like a perfect fit for my experience and interests, which made it an easy “yes” when I was offered the opportunity.
 

What’s the best part about WPC?

My favorite part about working at W. P. Carey is how dynamic the job is. You have the “leg work” components of a deal, including crunching numbers, researching new industries, putting together investment memos and transaction documents, combined with the strategic elements of negotiating and driving a deal forward.

There is also a large social component. Working on the International Investments team allows us to be out on the road in various countries, touring different properties and meeting new people. These elements make each deal unique and interesting, and makes my job very fulfilling.

What do you think it takes to succeed at WPC?

To be successful at W. P. Carey you have to be switched on. Things move quickly in our environment and it is therefore important that you are able to absorb information and be able to relay and act on new information at a fast pace. Speed and accuracy are two critical skills in this job.

In our environment it is also important to be a self-starter and work proactively, particularly for us in a smaller team setting where we still have ambitious workflows and targets. Our lean team structure also means that each member gets exposure to all stages of the lifecycle of a deal, which quickly builds hands-on experience and independence. As a result, the potential for growth becomes exponential as long as you seize the opportunities presented to you, which is very much how I would describe my journey with the company since joining in 2021.