Guido Verhoef has a rich history in institutional real estate and has been head of private real estate and Dutch pensions investment manager, PGGM, since 2008. This means he is responsible for a huge €12bn global portfolio consisting of approximately 150 non-listed funds, club investments and joint ventures that are managed by a dedicated team of investment managers.

But he has done much more than merely manage PGGM’s private real estate. He has turned it into an award-winning industry leading portfolio that continues to innovate and thrive.

Its current structure was established in 2010 for an indefinite period of time as a tax-transparent fund for joint accounts. It operates as a fund-of-funds and invests globally in both both semi-open and closed-ended funds, as well as in real estate companies, joint ventures and club deals.

PGGM’s private real estate strategy under Verhoef is run by an experienced team of private real estate specialists, which is subdivided into regional sub-teams with an European, Asian-Pacific or American focus in order to enhance insight in local real estate markets, identify local managers and select best-in-class fund managers and real estate operators.

In order to achieve superior returns the team attempts to add value by:

• constructing regional portfolios composed of high quality assets
• reducing risk through diversification based on geography, sector and/or investment strategy
• monitoring its investments proactively
• getting the best terms and conditions based on PGGM’s economies of scale
• optimising the portfolio through innovation
• integrating ESG in the investment process.