Employee stories
My experience as an investment analyst in the M&A and Strategic Transactions Team
Peter Handrup shares his Nrep experience as a investment analyst
Why I joined Nrep, part of Urban Partners
I joined Nrep almost a year ago after having completed my bachelor’s degree, served my military duty, and completed a series of internships in investment banking and traditional buy-out private equity. I got a tip about the role from a previous intern at Nrep whom I worked with at the time. She spoke well about the culture and the people at the firm. At first, I was a little unsure as I’d never really considered real estate, but after discovering the focus of the team and having had the opportunity to meet most of it, I was convinced this would be a good place to join. In the end, the deciding factor was the people at the firm. I left all the meetings with the feeling that “I could see myself working and spending time with this person.”
My role and tasks as an investment analyst in the MAST team
I work in the MAST (M&A and Strategic Transactions) team, which differs a bit from the country-specific investment teams at Nrep. Instead of direct real estate transactions, we focus on larger corporate transactions across Northern Europe where value is derived from both real estate and operations. Some examples of current investments are Klövern, a residential developer in Sweden; Sehlhall, a care home developer in Sweden; and 7R, a Polish logistics developer. Transactions with a corporate element are typically larger and more complex, resulting in fewer transactions done annually but each deal offering a variety of workstreams and challenges to solve. Therefore, the hours we work may at times be more volatile; some weeks we work hard to bring a transaction over the line, while other weeks are easier. Also, as the team is quite small (at the moment <10 people) and spread out across Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Germany, we often travel or co-locate to the different offices to spend time outside of deal-specific situations. Often, these events start with a professional program and end with a dinner, ensuring both that the team is aligned on strategic priorities and that we get the necessary time to socialize. Personally, this is one of the benefits of the job I enjoy the most.
The culture and the people are what sets us apart from other investors
So far, I’ve had the opportunity to work on several live projects, one being the investment into Sehlhall, where we partnered to create one of the leading developers of care homes in Sweden. While a significant share of the work is very similar to other investment firms, what sets Nrep apart is the humble, open, and collaborative culture. It’s encouraged to ask questions and be open about what you know and what you don’t, and while someone always needs to have the final say and responsibility, there is a clear culture of meritocracy and “the best idea wins.” Overall, I firmly believe Nrep serves as a good example of how high performance can go hand-in-hand with good culture.