Thursday, 29 January 2009
10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1BE

SJ Berwin and Goodwin Procter have created a unique conference on international real estate capital markets. There are two editions of the conference. The first was successfully held in New York City at Goodwin Procter's new offices in The New York Times Building and featured a keynote address by Professor Robert Shiller, one of the most respected economists of our time. The second event is being held in London at 10 Queen Street Place, the offices of SJ Berwin on Thursday 29 January.

The event will feature panel discussions led by prominent voices from the real estate industry and renowned experts will deliver the keynote addresses, including:

Keynote Speakers

Liz Peace, Chief Executive, British Property Federation
Liz became the CEO of the British Property Federation in 2002, following a long and varied career in the MoD, latterly the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (now QinetiQ plc).  Since then she has managed to change the Government’s perception of the commercial property industry, to dissuade the Government from legislating on commercial leases, to win innumerable changes to planning and tax legislation and, working as part of a pan-industry alliance, to persuade the Government to introduce REITs.

George Magnus, Senior Economic Adviser,
UBS Investment Bank
George Magnus is the Senior Economic Adviser at UBS Investment Bank. Previously he had served as the Chief Economist with effect from the merger of UBS and Swiss Bank Corporation (SBC). Having chaired the Investment Committee of the Trustee Board of UBS’ UK pension and life assurance fund for several years, he continues to serve on the Committee.

Mr. Magnus’ role is to investigate and analyse global economic topics and engage with clients and the media. He has been working on several thematic issues, including demographic change, the economic causes and consequences of globalization, the creation and deployment of petrodollars and sovereign wealth funds, the implications of a the re-emergence of a new Silk Road in Asia and the credit cycle in the global economy.

Panel Speakers

Edmund Craston
Edmund Craston was until recently Head of EMEA Real Estate Investment Banking at Lehman Brothers, which he joined in January 2006. Prior to that he was European Head of Real Estate Investment Banking at UBS Investment Bank, where he worked for 18 years (having originally joined SG Warburg). Following a period in Tokyo at the end of the 1980's he has specialised in real estate since 1990. In that time he has been involved in a wide range of capital raising transactions (equity, debt and securitisations; public and private markets) and advisory and M&A assignments for public and private property companies and investors throughout Europe. He also has wide experience of providing property-related advice to non-property clients with significant real estate interests.

He rejoined the Management Board of EPRA in 2007, having been a member of that Board from its founding in 1999 to 2004. He was a core member of the industry lobby group on UK REITs and is a member of the Executive Committee of Reita.

Robert Fowlds, Managing Director, JP Morgan Cazenove
Robert Fowlds joined the Real Estate team as MD in Corporate Finance at JPMorgan Cazenove in 2006. Previously he was an equity analyst at Merrill Lynch where he was MD and joint head of real estate research team (voted #1 for 11 years). His career as an analyst spanned 20 years mainly at Merrill Lynch and Dresdner Kleinwort Benson. His first career was as a Chartered Surveyor (MRICS) with DTZ and Gooch and Wagstaff specialising in development and investment. He has a BSc in Land Management and an MBA in Finance.

JP Morgan Cazenove acts as Corporate Broker and/or Financial Advisor to 20 Real Estate companies, ranging from REITs to non-REITs, property fund managers and off-shore trusts. The team is highly active in the sector.

William Hill, Head of Property Business, Schroders
Head of Property Business, based in London. Responsible for business with £8.3 billion of funds under management (30 June 2008) across balanced, specialist, opportunity and fund of funds products. Director of Schroder Property Managers (Jersey) Limited. Appointed Managing Director of Schroder Property Investment Management Limited in 1991. Member of the Supervisory Boards of Schroder Property Investment Management GmbH and Schroder Property Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH. Chairman of the Schroder Exempt Property Unit Trust Investment Committee and Schroders’ UK Property Asset Allocation Committee. Member of the Investment Committees for the Gresham I and II funds and Columbus. Joined Schroders in 1989. Joined Drivers Jonas in 1982 and qualified as a Chartered Surveyor. Investment career commenced in 1985. Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Member of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors and a past chairman of the Association of Real Estate Funds. Member of the BPF Finance Committee. Is on the Investment Advisory Committee of the Goldsmiths Company and is a Director of the Chartered Surveyors Training Trust. BSc (Hons) Degree in Land Management, Reading University. Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance CDipAF.

Tuvi Keinan, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley
After successfully completing the purchase of some 500 non performing loans for Morgan Stanley’s German RE Funds platform in 2004, Tuvi Keinan rejoined Morgan Stanley in 2006 and is the fund’s business chief financial officer responsible for pan Europe cross jurisdiction related financing, restructurings and hedging as well as emerging markets investment and finance activities.

Mr Keinan’s focus is on originating borrowings and managing investments through to monetisation. He has been instrumental in creating large financings through recent challenging market conditions deploying a variety of innovative security structures. Mr Keinan is also involved with originating mezzanine lending activities, which Morgan Stanley undertakes through its special situations fund.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Mr Keinan worked at Clifford Chance LLP and Paul Hastings LLP as a lawyer in London, NY and LA for 7 years, specialising in banking, real estate finance, development and construction financings, securitisation, leverage and asset finance. His legal background has been helpful in fomulating financing and restructuring strategies that are palletable to the banking market.

Hans Thomas Kessler, Partner, SJ Berwin LLP
Hans Thomas Kessler joined SJ Berwin in Frankfurt as a partner in 2008, leading the German Real Estate Group. He specialises in the area of real estate, real estate finance and construction law. Hans Thomas Kessler has advised numerous real estate investors, owners, financial institutions and other companies with regard to the acquisition and sale of commercial real estate and real estate portfolios, real estate developments, the lease of commercial real estate and financing issues. Furthermore, he has far-reaching experience in advising (including legal representation) construction and engineering firms as well as principals on construction, planning and infrastructural projects.

Hans Thomas Kessler studied law and political science at the Universities of Frankfurt, Lausanne, Geneva and Strasbourg. He earned the LL.M. at the London School of Economics and Political Science and had been Visiting Scholar at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.

Before joining SJ Berwin Hans Thomas Kessler worked for several leading intern ational law firms, at last as Equity Partner by Beiten Burkhardt, where he headed the firm's real estate practice group.

Gilbert G. Menna, Partner, Real Estate, REITs & Real Estate Capital Markets Practice, Goodwin Procter LLP
Gil Menna participates in the Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities & Corporate Finance, Private Investment Funds and Tax Practices and is a prior member of Goodwin Procter’s Management and Executive Committees. He is nationally recognized for his representation of leading publicly traded real estate operating companies in connection with their mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance, corporate governance, and joint venture transactions. Mr. Menna also has significant experience representing a variety of real estate investment managers in connection with their fund formation matters.

Since 2000, Mr. Menna has been involved on behalf of the firm’s clients in structuring and executing transactions totaling more than $150 billion, and in raising in excess of $40 billion in private and public equity and debt capital for the real estate industry. He is a member of the board of directors of New York University’s Real Estate Institute’s REIT Center, a Board Associate member of NAREIT and a member of the Real Estate Roundtable. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, where he has been recognized nationally as a “Star Performer” for his work with REITs.

Mr. Menna holds a J.D. degree and an M.L.T., both from Georgetown University Law Center, as well as a B.A., magna cum laude, from Syracuse University. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Samuel L. Richardson, Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP
Sam Richardson is a partner in the firm’s Real Estate, REITs & Real Estate Capital Markets Group. He has represented real estate owners, operators and investors, including REITs, private and public institutional investors and pension funds and other tax-exempt investors in a variety of complex commercial real estate matters, with particular focus on CMBS and other financings, acquisitions, sales and joint ventures. Mr. Richardson has been actively involved in structuring real estate investments to comply with CMBS market requirements, including helping oversee the firm’s nonconsolidation opinion practice and is currently actively involved in restructuring debt and equity investments across the United States. Mr. Richardson earned his J.D. degree from Boston University Law School.

Nick Salisbury, Director, Head of Structured Finance,
Property Finance Team, Barclays Commercial Bank
Nick Salisbury is Head of Structured Finance for the Barclays Commercial Bank Property & Project Finance Team. He has a national responsibility for the structuring of more complex property transactions, in both the development and investment sectors, leading a team of over 20 experienced financiers. He previously established and subsequently headed the Bank’s Private Finance Initiative Team which has closed well over 100 project finance deals covering the full range of infrastructure and renewable energy assets.

Gillian Smith, Partner, Finance Division, SJ Berwin LLP
Gillian joined the firm with experience both in private practice (Linklaters) and as in house counsel and became a partner in the Finance Department in 1985. She was subsequently seconded for two years to Wachtell Lipton in New York where she specialised in highly leveraged transactions.

She now advises both banking and corporate clients on a wide range of domestic and international finance transactions, spanning aspects of secured and unsecured lending with a particular focus on property finance. Clients include ABN Amro, Barclays, Bank of Montreal, HBOS, Lloyds TSB, Royal Bank of Scotland, The British Land Company, Invesco, Evans Randall, Delancey and Wichford. Experience includes acting for British Land on the acquisition of the largest Spanish regional shopping centre; acting for The Royal Bank of Scotland on the provision of investment and development facilities in excess of £700 million to a GFSC regulated fund; acting for property funds on the funding of the acquisition of cross-border portfolios of offices and other assets through platform funding arrangements.

Gillian is listed in the Euromoney’s Guide to Leading Banking Lawyers of the World and is recommended by Chambers as “incredibly professional” and as having “great foresight and extremely proactive approach”.

Stephen Smith, Global Head of Asset Management and Transactions, AXA REIM
Steve Smith is responsible for Asset Management and Transactions for AXA REIM which (at the end of 2008) manages real estate funds with a value in excess of €42 billion on behalf of major clients including Life funds, listed property vehicles, unit linked and closed ended funds and separate accounts. Formerly Steve was CEO of AXA’s real estate operation in the UK and Benelux and in 2005 added the role of Global Head of Transactions to his domestic duties. During his tenure in the UK he took funds under management from approximately €1 billion to in excess of €17 billion. Steve is in charge of the AXA groups property investment programme which in 2007 amounted to in excess of €6bn of acquisitions and around €3bn of sales. In 2008 AXA REIM expected to repeat the 2007 performance, forecasting acquisitions and disposals amounting to more than €10bn, but as the year end approaches the final figure is likely to be closer to €7bn. Steve has extensive overseas responsibilities and is a director of 90 companies based in the UK, Europe and USA.

Caroline Snowden, Director Structured Finance, JC Rathbone Structured Finance Limited
Caroline Snowden qualified as a chartered surveyor with Richard Ellis before moving to Weatherall Green and Smith’s City office, where she was involved in valuation and investor and occupier strategy for City property. After leaving Richard Ellis, Ms Snowden moved to Eurohypo where she spent 5 years advising on the property and due diligence aspects of lending, being involved in UK and European lending and securitisation. 3 years ago she moved to JCRSF to advise on debt raising and structuring.

David W. Watson, Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP
David Watson, a partner in the firm’s Business Law Department and the chair of the firm’s Real Estate Private Investment Funds and Private Investment Funds Practices, focuses his practice on securities offerings, fund formation and other private fund matters, partnership law, securities law compliance and general corporate matters.

Mr. Watson’s experience in the private investment funds area includes establishing private funds through U.S. and international securities offerings, organizing fund manager and sponsor entities, advising fund managers and sponsors in establishing compensation structures and internal operating policies, representing funds and investors in the preparation and negotiation of fund formation and investment documents, and restructuring the terms of existing investment funds. He has expertise in establishing a variety of domestic and international private investment vehicles, including real estate funds, private equity funds, mezzanine funds, hedge funds and natural resources funds.

Mr. Watson has extensive experience in securities offerings, including IPOs, subsequent public and private offerings for publicly held companies, public “shelf” offerings and private placements to institutions as well as individuals. He represents both publicly held and private businesses as general corporate and securities law counsel, providing advice in all aspects of corporate governance and securities law compliance.

Mr. Watson has been involved in numerous real estate securities transactions, including roll-up consolidation transactions, portfolio acquisitions by REITs, UPREITs and DOWNREITs; IPOs of new REITs; and representing REITs in public and private securities offerings. His experience in this area also includes representing companies in public and private merger and acquisition transactions.

Mr. Watson is a lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Business and is listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and The Best Lawyers in America. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Tim Wheeler, Chief Executive, Brixton Plc
A Chartered Surveyor, Tim joined Brixton plc in 1985 and was appointed Property Director in June 1997 and Chief Executive in April 2000. Tim has re-focused Brixton to become the leading REIT specialising in industrial and warehousing space in the UK with a leading-edge emphasis on customer service through its B-Serv subsidiary. Brixton now owns and/or manages 19m sq ft of industrial and warehouse space, its share being worth over £2.2bn, with nearly 80% (by value) in Greater London. Tim was born in Gateshead, and educated at King’s School Tynemouth and Reading University. Married with two children he lists his other interests as sport – particularly skiing, snowboarding and rugby – track cars and rock music.

Andrew Wood, Chief Investment Officer, MGPA
Andrew Wood is the Chief Investment Officer and a founding shareholder of MGPA. Andrew’s responsibilities include oversight of MGPA’s global investment activities and processes and he is a member of the MGPA Investment Committee. He also retains responsibility for Global Fund 1, MGPA’s original investment vehicle which he assisted in establishing in 1998. Andrew has over 30 years’ experience in the real estate sector in UK, Continental Europe, Asia and the USA. Prior to establishing MGPA he was a Principal of Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, Inc in the USA where his responsibilities included funds management, investor relations and product development. Andrew is a Counselor of Real Estate in the USA and Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in the UK.

Victoria Younghusband, Partner, Financial Markets, SJ Berwin LLP
Victoria Younghusband is a Partner in the Financial Markets Group, specialising in the asset management industry. She advises investment funds on all aspects from set-up, flotation and secondary issues to governance, restructuring and winding-up. She acts for both listed and unlisted funds, closed-ended and open-ended. She also advises asset managers, from set-up to flotation and on mergers and acquisitions, both in respect of funds and of other asset management businesses. She has been involved in many transactions for real estate companies and asset managers from establishing single asset limited partnerships or offshore unit trusts to listed funds with a wide spread of investments.

She is a member of the City of London Law Society Company Law sub-committee and a member of the Technical Panel of the Association of Investment Companies. From January 2003 to March 2007, she was a member of the Better Regulation Commission, formerly the Better Regulation Task Force.

She is recognised in Legal 500 and Chambers as a leading adviser on investment funds. She has been described as having a knack of “making sure everything runs smoothly” and praised for her ability to “explain things with great clarity and brevity”. She is also listed as a recommended lawyer in PLC’s Investment Funds Handbook 2007/2008 and in Legal Business Legal Experts.