AXA Investment Managers – Real Assets has strengthened its global management team with two senior appointments.
The firm appointed John O’Driscoll as European head of transactions, replacing Laurent Jacquemin, who has been promoted to head of Asia Pacific. Both appointments are expected to be effective by Jan. 1, 2018.
As European head of transactions, O’Driscoll will oversee the sourcing, selection and execution of the acquisitions that AXA IM – Real Assets undertakes each year on behalf of clients. Based in London and working closely alongside the local asset and fund management teams, O’Driscoll will manage AXA IM – Real Assets’ 30-strong European transactions team, which has completed around €15 billion ($17 billion) of transactions over the past three years. As part of his role, O’Driscoll will contribute to the investment strategies for both AXA IM – Real Assets and its clients and will be a member of its investment committee.
O’Driscoll has more than 15-years’ experience in international real estate investment banking and investment advisory and joins from global real estate advisory services firm JLL, where he had been CEO of corporate finance and head of mergers and acquisitions for the EMEA region since 2014. Prior to JLL, O’Driscoll spent eight years at Deutsche Bank where, having joined as an associate in 2006, he was promoted through to EMEA head of real estate, gaming and lodging M&A. He joined Deutsche after four years in the EMEA real estate investment banking team at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Jacquemin was appointed as head of Asia Pacific and will be based at AXA IM – Real Assets’ newly relocated Asian hub in Tokyo. He is responsible for international development in the United States and Asia, and all of AXA IM – Real Assets’ operations in the Asia Pacific region, including overseeing investment, asset management and capital raising activities from the offices in Japan, South Korea and Australia. Asia Pacific has been identified by AXA IM – Real Assets as a key area for geographical growth and, in his new role, Jacquemin will help devise the strategy for its continued expansion in the region.
Jacquemin has around 18 years of experience in the real estate industry and joined AXA IM – Real Assets in 2001. Prior to his current role as European head of transactions, Jacquemin was global head of corporate finance and head of corporate finance U.K. He started his career at Ernst & Young working both in Paris and Brussels.
