GREENWICH, Conn., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Starwood Capital Group announced today that Desmond Taljaard has joined the company as a Senior Vice President and head of Asset Management of Starwood Capital Europe Limited. In his new role, Mr. Taljaard will be responsible for overseeing Starwood Capital's growing portfolio of properties in Europe. Mr. Taljaard will be based in London and report to Jeffrey Dishner, Senior Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at Starwood Capital.
"Desmond's extensive experience in the hospitality industry and intricate knowledge of the European market makes him the perfect fit for our operation there," Mr. Dishner said. "Given our tremendous growth in Europe and the addition of several valuable properties the past few years, we needed a senior-level executive who could help manage our existing portfolio and help lay the groundwork for future expansion. We are very excited to add such a highly qualified individual to our team."
"I'm delighted to be joining such a prestigious real estate investment firm, particularly given the significant strides they have made developing a foothold in Europe the past couple of years," Mr. Taljaard said. "I have admired Starwood Capital's disciplined investment style and ability to deliver sound returns for some time now, and I look forward to helping further the company's success here in partnership with my new colleagues."
Mr. Taljaard most recently served as Group Development Director for Whitbread PLC, where he oversaw all property activities, corporate development and mergers and acquisitions across the company's various brands. Among his key accomplishments at Whitbread included overseeing the £1 billion exit from its Marriott business in the United Kingdom earlier this year.
Prior to Whitbread, Mr. Taljaard was Property Director of J. Sainsbury's Supermarkets Limited, where he had overall responsibility for property development and asset management for a property estate worth around £10 billion. Before that he held several executive positions at Hilton International Co., most recently as Senior Vice President for Real Estate. During his tenure, his responsibilities included running the finance division of a £1 billion commercial property portfolio and completing a $500 million development program in the United States.
Mr. Taljaard earned his Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the London School of Economics, and is also an ACA Chartered Accountant.
Starwood Capital Group
Starwood Capital Group has been a leader in real estate investments since 1991. Its international investor base includes some of the United States' largest state and corporate pension funds, endowments and foundations plus high-net worth family from around the world. During the past fifteen years, Starwood Capital and its affiliates have invested approximately $5.8 billion of equity capital in transactions representing over $15.9 billion. Starwood has closed and/or advised on over 215 transactions ranging in size from $1 million to $14.6 billion, and has acquired equity interests in residential lots, multifamily and condominium units, hotels, office, retail and industrial space, golf and leisure-related properties. Starwood has led the formation and growth of several market leading companies including iStar Financial, the leading publicly traded finance company specializing in commercial real estate mortgage, mezzanine and net lease financing; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, a leading global owner/operator of hotels, with ownership of brands such as Sheraton, Westin, The St. Regis Luxury Collection and the "W"; and National Golf Properties/American Golf Corporation, the largest owner/operator of golf courses and related facilities in the U.S. Starwood's most recent transactions include the $3.2 billion acquisition of Groupe Taittinger and Societe du Louvre, Europe's second largest hotel network owning and operating a unique collection of 14 luxury hotels in France, Switzerland and Europe in addition to managing over 800 budget hotels throughout Europe plus the $973 million acquisition of the Le Meridien hotel portfolio comprised of 32 luxury, four/five star hotels located primarily across Europe but also in North America, Africa and South America.
Starwood Capital Group
CONTACT: Tom Johnson, Abernathy MacGregor Group, +1-212-371-5999
