Immobel Capital Partners, the London-based investment management business of Immobel Group announces the appointment of Melinda Knatchbull as Chief Financial and Operating Officer. In her new role she will be responsible for the financial, operational and risk aspects of Immobel Capital Partners activities. Melinda has over 25 years experience in the fund management industry, with the last 20 focused on real estate. She has spent circa 20 years working alongside Duncan Owen, CEO of Immobel Capital Partners.

Melinda will work with Duncan, who joined to establish Immobel Capital Partners as CEO in January, together with Maureen Mahr von Staszewski as Head of pan European Office and Monica O’Neill as Head of Capital and Investor Relations. Immobel Capital Partners focuses on creating ‘Green’ pan European investment strategies in the office and residential sectors where Immobel Group is already a market leader.

Melinda joins from Schroder Real Estate, where she worked for over ten years, with responsibility for the global operations across the platform. With a strong focus on governance, she was responsible for chairing numerous  committees including the Operating Committee, Risk and Performance Committee, Pricing and Valuations Committee. She was also responsible for implementation of regulations across the business including AIFMD, GDPR, Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), amongst others. A number of the real estate funds were rated by a variety of ESG benchmarks such as GRESB and Better Buildings Partnerships. Prior to joining Schroders, Melinda was Head of Fund Accounting at Invista REIM PLC, where she was instrumental in its IPO in 2006 with Duncan as its founding CEO.

Commenting, Duncan Owen, CEO, Immobel Capital Partners, said: “Mel joins a first rate senior team alongside  Maureen Mahr von Staszewski as Head of Pan European Office and Monica O’Neill as Head of Capital and Investor Relations, making a clear statement of intent in terms of the growth and ambitions of Immobel Capital Partners.”

Melinda Knatchbull, added: “I am pleased to be part of the founding team of Immobel Capital Partners to launch a unique and compelling proposition for investors that leverages the expertise of the Immobel Group. It is really exciting to be creating a sustainable real estate focused investment management firm.”