JLL appoints Philip Ward as EMEA CEO of its Hotels & Hospitality Group

Speaking at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) in Togo today, Xander Nijnens, Senior Vice President, JLL Hotels And Hospitality Group, Sub-Saharan Africa, announced that JLL has hired investment banking and corporate finance expert Philip Ward as CEO of its Hotels & Hospitality Group in EMEA. This strategic appointment will enhance the Group’s ability to source and structure capital for clients’ hotel real estate activities.

Crucially, this announcement comes at a time when the hotels and hospitality sector is facing new competition from businesses that challenge the traditional concept of a hotel. These new, disruptive forces offer ample opportunity for the sector to modernise, and hotel investors and operators are uniquely positioned to shape the future of the hospitality real estate industry.

With a career spanning 35 years, Mr. Ward comes to JLL from global investment bank Brookfield Financial, where he was a managing partner and founder of the firm’s European operation.

Mark Wynne-Smith, Global CEO of JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group, said: “Philip’s appointment to lead JLL’s hotel and hospitality business in EMEA signals our focus on the institutional investor segment, and is a response to the changing needs of our clients and the market and economic environment. Current and future clients will benefit from Philip’s wealth of experience in the sector, including sourcing, securing and arranging debt and equity capital, and structuring complex transactions through a range of market cycles. He joins during an evolutionary period as the universe of investors and lenders becomes more diverse within the hospitality sector as a whole.”

Richard Bloxam, head of capital markets, EMEA, at JLL, added: “Philip’s appointment underlines JLL’s focus on continuing to evolve its specialist banking and finance expertise. It supports our strategy to drive key parts of the business, and enhance the conversations that we are having with clients and institutional investors – whether it’s about buying, selling, refinancing or consolidating real estate assets.”

Mr. Ward joined Brookfield from Eurohypo AG, part of Commerzbank, where he was a managing director and head of advisory. Previously, he held managing director roles at Bear Stearns International and Rothschild Group in London and Paris. For the last 25 years, he has specialised in investment banking advisory work for the hotels, hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors.