Catella APAM, the specialist UK and Ireland asset manager with current AUM of £2B has promoted Melissa Baldwin and Sinéad Kenny as joint managing directors in a bold statement to drive ambitious growth plans.
Melissa Baldwin joined in 2016 with responsibilities for operations and finance and was appointed a director in 2017. Sinéad Kenny has been with APAM since 2013 and joined the board in 2019 with responsibilities for client services and business development.
William Powell, a founding shareholder of Catella APAM is stepping down later in the summer and will leave the business he founded with Simon Cooke in 2009 to move to Australia, whilst industry veteran Cooke commits to support Baldwin and Kenny to deliver ambitious growth plans through to 2029.
Catella APAM has £2B of assets under management and operates with 70 staff from London, Manchester and recently opened in Dublin.
The multi-services business manages assets in the UK and Ireland for the likes of Greater Manchester Pension Fund, Singaporean Investor CapitaLand, and a group of Danish Pension Funds Britannia Invest A/S. Supported by Catella’s co-investment strategy, which aligns investor interests, a number of new mandates have also been initiated in both UK retail and BTR investments as well as London and regional offices. Bankfoot APAM, the development management arm, also continues to be the front runner in delivering ‘Brown to Green’ strategies across all sectors.
Christoffer Abramson, CEO and President of Catella Group comments: “I am greatly pleased that we will continue to develop our successful partnership, which began five years ago when we first met Simon and Will. Together with Catella’s pan-European reach and our partners’ extensive experience of the UK and Irish market, we have grown our business and offering substantially. Under the lead of Melissa and Sinéad, and with Simon’s continued commitment, we, as Catella, look forward to the next steps of growth. The future is exciting, and the new market cycle will allow Catella APAM’s critical products and services to truly help clients add value in challenging times.”
Simon Cooke, Founder/Shareholder of Catella APAM comments: “We are hugely proud of the platform that William and I have built over the last 14 years with the Catella AB support since acquiring 75% of the business in 2019, and I’m committed to the ambitious growth plans that Catella AB, Melissa and Sinéad have set out in a market place where our services have become increasingly demanded by UK institutions and international investors to deliver investment strategies within our core conviction investment themes. Bringing new vision and a formidable leadership to embrace and deliver these ambitions is an exciting initiative and perfectly timed!”
Melissa Baldwin, Managing Director of Catella APAM: “I’m incredibly excited to be leading on Catella APAM’s future strategic priorities together with Sinéad and Simon, as well as with the wider management team. We have a dedicated and diverse team and a strong track record of profitable growth. We are continuing to invest in our people, our systems, and developing new services and initiatives to ensure we continue to deliver sustainable real estate solutions for our clients. Working closely with William over the last seven years, I’m grateful for his support to take on this new challenge. We wish him all the best in his move to Australia.”
Sinéad Kenny, Managing Director of Catella APAM: “I am thrilled to be appointed as Managing Director of Catella APAM. Over the past 10 years, I have had the privilege of being part of our growth and have been dedicated to driving standards of client service and business development. I am honoured to be recognised for my contributions and eager to collaborate with Simon, Melissa and our talented management team to continue to drive the growth of our business. Together, we will continue to deliver exceptional service to our clients and create more opportunities for our clients to succeed in the future.”