DRC Savills IM hires Steve Willingham to drive growth in Asia

London, 20 September 2022 - DRC Savills Investment Management (“DRC Savills IM”), the European investment fund manager and Savills Investment Management’s dedicated real estate debt business, has hired Steve Willingham as Head of Asia. Based in Hong Kong, Steve will report to Dale Lattanzio, Managing Partner at DRC Savills IM. Steve officially joins the firm in November.

The appointment underlines Savills IM’s commitment to strengthening its platform in Asia, and continuing to provide investors in the region access to global real estate investment opportunities. In his new role, Steve will work closely with local investment teams, assisting them with origination, transaction management and asset management. The firm’s first debt initiative in the region will focus on the Australian market and will be launched imminently.

With over 30 years’ experience in real estate, Steve joins DRC Savills IM from HSBC, where he was most recently Global Head of Real Estate Finance, based in Hong Kong. Prior to this, he held various senior roles in Infrastructure and Real Estate Finance in London for HSBC. Steve has also previously worked in senior executive and portfolio management roles at leading real estate and investment management firms. 

Steve Willingham, Head of Asia, DRC Savills IM, said: “DRC Savills IM has a proven track record and enviable reputation across the global real estate industry. I look forward to spearheading its work in Asia alongside the global investment team and wider Savills IM group to further develop our proposition in the region and continue to effectively serve our investors’ needs.”

Dale Lattanzio, Managing Partner, DRC Savills IM, commented: “Steve’s extensive knowledge and experience across real estate, and particularly within real estate debt, will prove invaluable as we look to further enhance our product offering and client relationships across the Asian market.”

Alex Jeffrey, Chief Executive, Savills IM, added: “We are delighted to welcome Steve to our business. His demonstrable track record in debt investment and asset management will be key to growing our platform in Asia, a key market and one that we expect to experience significant growth over the coming years.”