M&G Real Estate announces two key roles as David Jackson retires

London, 25 June 2025: M&G today announces the appointment of Simon Ellis as Manager of the €4.5 billion¹ M&G European Property Fund (the Fund) with Marc Reijnen taking on a broader role to lead its continental European real estate platform. This follows David Jackson’s decision to retire after 43 years with M&G, having been instrumental in launching the strategy over 20 years ago and growing it into the largest ex-UK Pan European openended core fund in its peer group.

Over the past two decades, the European property market has emerged as a key destination for global institutional investors driven by attractive valuations and strong long-term growth potential. Sectors such as residential, logistics and commercial spaces with strong sustainability credentials can continue to drive investment returns. M&G’s real estate team is part of the firm’s wider £74 billion private markets business – a strategic growth area as institutional investors are set to increase their real asset allocations and changes in the industry enable greater investor participation in these asset classes.

Marc Reijnen, who currently leads M&G’s continental European real estate investment and asset management teams, now assumes overall responsibility for the leadership and strategic direction of the European (ex UK) platform, which includes a 30-strong team in 6 European offices, which invests across all sectors in 12 countries. As part of a long-term succession plan, Simon and David have worked together for 17 years, with Simon appointed as Deputy Fund Manager in 2015 and Co-Fund Manager in 2023.

The M&G European Property Fund has established itself as one of/the region’s largest and most enduring core strategies, investing on behalf of M&G’s Life business and a long-term, diversified base of institutional clients in Europe, UK, Asia Pacific, Japan and North America. With solid ESG credentials and exposure to 12 European markets, the Fund is tilted towards high quality assets in Western and Northern Europe across all key sectors.

Martin Towns, Deputy Head of M&G Real Estate, said: “David has played a pivotal role in shaping our strategy in continental Europe, selectively growing the portfolio and strategically diversifying into the Living sector in 2019. We have grown the European platform alongside the Fund, paving the way to support our other European strategies and ensuring our clients benefit from on-the-ground, local market expertise. We would like to thank David for his significant contribution throughout his career with M&G and we wish him the very best for his retirement.

“Simon has proved himself as an astute investor and, with the strength of our continental European platform, is well placed to lead the Fund into the next stage of its growth. Investors are taking a closer look at the potential investment opportunity this market has to offer, with renewed interest in the growth potential of European 2 economies. With Marc, Simon and the broader team, we will draw on our extensive experience and profound understanding of the European property landscape to drive long-term returns for our investors.”

David Jackson added: “It has been a privilege to have such a fulfilling career in the real estate industry harnessing M&G’s unique combination of long-term capital from our Life Business and the strength of our client relationships on the asset management side. Establishing and growing our continental European platform has provided more institutional investors with access to multiple local markets that have so much to offer for those investors looking for diversification and different structural drivers.”

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Notes to editors

¹ M&G as of 31 December 2024

OpenAbout Marc Reijnen

Marc leads M&G's continental European property team of investment and asset management professionals across six offices and has responsibility for the Continental European Business Line. He joined M&G in 2016 and has more than 35 years of experience in real estate fund and investment management. Prior to this he was a Fund Management Director at CBRE Global Investors in Paris, Head of Asset Management for Grosvenor in Europe and held positions with Richard Ellis International in London and Frankfurt.

OpenAbout Simon Ellis

Simon has more than 20 years’ experience in property investment and asset management across all key markets in Continental Europe having worked on the Fund since launch and has led the purchase of many of the assets held within the Fund. This has included office, retail and logistics assets as well as living assets across the multi-family, student and Senior Living sectors.
Simon has overseen the growth in the fund portfolio from 8 assets as at 31 December 2006 to 88 assets across 12 jurisdictions. Prior to joining M&G Real Estate in 2004, he worked in the investment field at CBRE and JLL (formerly Kings Sturge, based in their Paris office.

OpenAbout M&G Investments and M&G Real Estate

M&G Investments is part of M&G plc, a savings and investment business which was formed in 2017 through the merger of Prudential plc’s UK and Europe savings and insurance operation and M&G, its wholly owned international investment manager. M&G plc listed as an independent company on the London Stock Exchange in October 2019 and has £346.1 billion of assets under management (as at 31 December 2024). M&G plc has customers in the UK, Europe, the Americas and Asia, including individual savers and investors, life insurance policy holders and pension scheme members. For nearly nine decades M&G Investments has been helping its customers to prosper by putting investments to work, which in turn creates jobs, homes and vital infrastructure in the real economy. Its investment solutions span equities, fixed income, multi asset, cash, private debt, infrastructure and real estate. M&G plc recognises the importance of responsible investing, is a signatory (both as an asset manager and owner) to the UNsupported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and is targeting net zero emissions by 2050, across our investment portfolios and operations. M&G Real Estate is a leading financial solutions provider for global real estate investors. As part of M&G Investments’ private markets business, M&G Real Estate has a sector leading approach to responsible property management and is committed to continuously improving the sustainability performance of its funds. Globally M&G Real Estate manages more than £34 billion (as at 31 December 2024) of assets on behalf of clients, providing a range of strategies and solutions.

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