Avignon Capital has appointed Dr Nils Kok as Senior Impact Adviser. Nils will be responsible for leading the sustainability team, be part of Avignon’s Investment Committee, and work closely with senior management to further integrated ESG considerations into investment processes as well as develop new products and solutions.
Nils is a Professor in Real Estate Finance at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. His research, which is frequently cited in the press, has a strong focus on the economics of energy efficiency and sustainability in the real estate sector.
Previously, Nils was the founder and CEO of GRESB, a global ESG rating company for real estate and infrastructure investments. Nils also served as Chief Economist and non-executive board member at GeoPhy, a leading provider of automated valuations for the real estate sector. Nils holds a PhD in Real Estate Finance from Maastricht University, as well as a Masters in Finance and International Business Studies. He is also a Fellow of the Maastricht Research School of Economics, Technology and Organizations.
Patrick Flaton, managing partner and CEO of Avignon Capital said: “We are delighted to welcome Nils onto the team. Gaining someone with such experience and expertise in the market is a real coup for us and Nils’ input will be invaluable as we forge ahead with ensuring ESG criteria features at the centre of how we work and the investments we make and advice on. With Nils on board, we are able to strengthen our Brown-2-Green strategy, integrating sustainability into everything we do at Avignon.”
Nils Kok, Senior Impact Advisor of Avignon Capital said: “With a strong track record in asset and investment-management, Avignon is well-positioned to take on the challenge of converting the existing commercial real estate stock in Europe from inefficient and potentially stranded into net-zero carbon, sustainable and healthy assets. I’m excited to being part of the solution of reducing the carbon emitted by the global real estate sector, while creating better space for occupiers, and enhancing value for investors and their trustees,”.