Eric Decouvelaere has been hired to take on the role of head of retail for the EMEA region. He joins from outlet operator McArthurGlen, where he served as COO, and replaces Florencio Beccar who left last year to set up Axis Retail Partners, part of the Generali Group.

At CBRE Global Investors, Decouvelaere will be responsible for the company's €15.2 bn retail platform in EMEA which comprises shopping centres, high street assets and retail parks.

John Mulqueen, previously head of transactions for EMEA, has been promoted to head of offices EMEA. He joins Philip Dunne, who was recruited as head of logistics EMEA last year, and Decouvelaere, as the three new sector heads overseeing investment strategies along the risk curve.  

Frans van Toor replaces John Mulqueen in a promotion from head of transactions Netherlands to head up the transaction team for EMEA. Van Toor, who joined the company in 2018, will now be responsible for overseeing the EMEA region transaction strategy, including deal sourcing, acquisitions and disposals.

Commenting on the appointments, Sophie van Oosterom, CEO and CIO of CBRE Global Investors, said the sector-led approach ensured the company ‘is best placed to reap the benefits of being one of the only truly pan-European landlord-operators in multiple disciplines. It enables us amongst others to develop agile concepts for our tenants and help optimize their business across sectors’.