Harrison Street Asset Management (“Harrison Street”) the investment management division of Colliers (NASDAQ, TSX: CIGI), today announced the acquisition of a majority stake in RoundShield Partners (“RoundShield”), a leading European credit investment manager with $5.4 billion in assets under management.
Headquartered in Jersey, with key offices in Geneva, London, Madrid and Munich, RoundShield specializes in asset-backed capital solutions across real estate, infrastructure, and financial assets through opportunistic credit and structured equity strategies. Since its founding in 2013, the firm has consistently delivered market-leading risk-adjusted returns to a diverse global investor base, including pensions, endowments, foundations, insurers, and family offices.
Under the terms of the transaction, Harrison Street has acquired a 60% equity interest in RoundShield from its management team and a third-party financial investor. The remaining ownership will be retained by RoundShield’s senior management team, who will continue to lead the business.
“This transaction marks a pivotal step for Harrison Street, adding credit capabilities in Europe and creating a pathway for continued innovation across our platform,” said Christopher Merrill, Global Chief Executive Officer of Harrison Street. “RoundShield’s outstanding track record and deep expertise in sectors like student housing and hospitality present immediate opportunities for collaboration. RoundShield’s ownership and operation of vertically integrated student housing platforms offers an exciting opportunity to scale our combined student housing operations across the region. We look forward to leveraging this partnership to broaden our suite of differentiated strategies for our global investors.”
Driss Benkirane, Founder and Managing Partner of RoundShield, added, “We are thrilled to partner with Harrison Street, a globally respected leader in real asset investing that we have known for many years. Their investment is a strong endorsement of our team and platform. With their global reach and shared values, we are well-positioned to accelerate our growth and continue delivering compelling investment ideas and attractive risk-adjusted returns for our investors.”
In connection with this transaction, Lincoln International acted as financial advisor and Sidley Austin acted as legal advisor to RoundShield. DLA Piper acted as legal advisor to Harrison Street.