Thierry de Wever - Portfolio Manager EIF

What initially encouraged me to join ING Real Estate was the fact that it’s a big company with offices in most major countries; not many real estate companies have that kind of scope. As I came from the banking side, I already knew and appreciated the ING brand.

From Brussels to Paris

I’ve got an economics degree and my experience encompasses finance, mergers & acquisitions, negotiations, contract drafting and, most importantly, client relationships. I first started working for ING Bank in Brussels back in 1998. In 2001 I moved to Paris to start up the French office for ING Real Estate Finance. In 2004 I moved back to Brussels to take over and expand the offices & logistics business for ING Real Estate Investment Management Belgium. Currently I’m back in Paris from where I manage two pan-European logistics funds for ING Real Estate investors.

I have greatly enjoyed every job that I’ve done up to now for ING. Even though ING is a big company, the human element is very present and the job allows me to enjoy family life (we have three kids).

The culture within ING Real Estate is very open-minded and entrepreneurial, although I guess, like in every big company, there is some bureaucracy. Most of the people working here are down- to-earth kind, which suits me just fine.

Skills a portfolio manager should have

You have to be a team player and you have to put integrity before everything else. You also need empathy to understand people with many different backgrounds and cultures, a sound financial background, common sense, self-criticism and attention to detail.

What gives me greatest satisfaction is having a good brand name behind you and the fact that you get so much freedom to take the initiative; sometimes it feels like I’m running my own company.