People & Offices

Stewart Bennett is Global Head of Alternatives at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. He joined the company in November 2021 following the acquisition of BMO’s EMEA asset management business. In this new role, Stewart has oversight responsibility for our real assets business that includes UK, European and US (Lionstone) real estate and European infrastructure, along with the private equity business, the US-managed Seligman hedge funds, Thames River Capital (real estate securities) and Pyrford (absolute return, international and global equities).

Previously, Stewart had been Global Head of Alternatives at BMO Global Asset Management since May 2019, where he was responsible for its private equity, real estate and real estate securities businesses. Stewart joined BMO GAM with 25 years’ experience in investment banking and private equity, including 10 years as a partner and Head of the Financial Institutions Group (FIG) at Ondra Partners, the London based independent investment banking firm. His previous experience includes Dresdner Kleinwort, where he was Managing Director and Head of FIG, Strategic Advisory, and the private equity firm Botts & Company. Stewart has worked in the financial services industry since 1994.

Iris Schöberl is Managing Director of CT Real Estate Partners GmbH & Co. KG, member of the Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate Partners Executive Committee, as well as member of the Investment Committees of Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate Partners Germany and Europe.

In January 2000, Iris founded the predecessor company REIT Asset Management GmbH Deutschland, which merged with the real estate unit of F&C in 2008 and was bought by Bank of Montreal (BMO) in 2014. BMO Real Estate Partners Germany has become a part of Columbia Threadneedle Investments UK International Limited in November 2021.

Iris has more than 35 years of experience in the real estate business. In addition to being managing director of Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate Partners Germany, she has been elected member of the board and thus vice chair of the German Property Federation ZIA in 2021. Furthermore, she is Deputy Chairwoman of the ZIA Trading Committee, member of the supervisory committee of ECE, ATMIRA group and the project „Stadtlabore für Deutschland“. She also is a founding member of the association “Frauen in der Immobilienwirtschaft” (Women in the real estate business).

Richard Kirby, MRICS, joined Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate Partners (formerly BMO Real Estate Partners) in 1990. He has been a fund manager since 1995 and has experience of managing commercial property portfolios across all sectors for open-ended, closed-ended and life fund clients. Richard has been lead manager of the Balanced Commercial Property Trust since launch in 2005 where his responsibilities include advising on and implementing property portfolio strategy, sales, acquisitions, asset enhancement and management. He is a director and sits on both the Executive Committee and Investment Committee of Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate Partners. He is a Chartered Surveyor and a member of the Investment Property Forum and the British Council of Offices.