An international team with local expertise

A proudly international team

We are a team of over 150 professionals, operating from 17 offices worldwide to offer a global perspective and extensive local expertise to our clients. Our investment team oversees every aspect of the real estate investment cycle and is backed by in-house specialists in areas such as ESG, Legal and Tax. At Manova, we take pride in our culture of inclusivity, integrity, and openness, where individuals from diverse backgrounds come together to collaborate.

Leadership Team

Christian Goebel

Co-CEO

Christian is Co-CEO of Manova Partners, responsible for transactions, asset management and business development activities. Christian is Chair of Manova’s Global Investment Committee and co-chairs the Global Executive Committee. Christian was previously the Global Co-Head of Macquarie Asset Management Real Estate’s Core / Core Plus Platform after holding global roles at both Investec and Invesco. Christian holds a degree in Social Sciences from the University of Durham, UK, and a Master’s in Business Administration from ESADE, Spain.

Florian Winkle

Co-CEO

Florian is Co-CEO of Manova Partners, responsible for portfolio management, fund management, business development and capital raising activities. He serves on Manova’s Global Investment Committee and co-chairs the Global Executive Committee. Florian was previously Global Co-Head of Macquarie Asset Management Real Estate’s Core / Core Plus Platform. He was also previously Managing Director at Invesco, managing two institutional real estate funds based in New York. Florian holds a Master’s in Business Administration and economics from the University of Hohenheim, Germany.

Alexander Kratzel

  • Alexander is Head of Capital & Debt Solutions at Manova Partners, responsible for overseeing investor relations and debt finance. Alexander is holding a number of senior leadership roles since joining us in 2001, including Head of Portfolio Management and Managing Director of the GLL GmbH and our KVG. Previously he spent 12 years at HVB in senior capital markets and real estate investment management roles. Alex holds a degree in Banking from Frankfurt School of Finance.

Alin Sigheartau

  • Alin Sigheartau is the Head of Transactions and Business Development - USA for Manova. Since joining in 2017, Alin has led acquisitions and dispositions in excess of $1.5 billion USD across the US. Prior to joining us, Alin worked as an investment director for Avesta Communities, a Private Equity Real Estate fund. He holds an undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Caldwell University as well as an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Brigitte Schmale

  • Brigitte is Head of Integrity at Manova. With over 28 years’ experience in global real estate, Brigitte has held senior leadership positions at Macquarie Asset Management, GLL Real Estate Partners, MEAG and Blumenauer International. Brigitte is a board member of several fund entities and SPVs. She holds a Master’s in Geography from University of Mannheim, Germany, and a degree in Real Estate Economics from the European Business School.

Catherine Luithlen

  • Catherine is Head of Asset Management for DACH at Manova Partners, responsible for our asset management strategy and leadership of our dedicated local team. She also supports the implementation our ESG, WHSE, digitisation and innovation strategies. Previously, Catherine held senior leadership roles at Real I.S. AG for over 15 years including Head of Asset Management covering France, Belgium and Luxembourg and Managing Director of Real I.S. France SA, a division she established. Catherine holds an Engineering Diploma in Architecture from Technical University Munich, Germany, and is a member of the RICS.

Chris Quiett

  • Chris is the Head of US Operations at Manova Partners, overseeing acquisitions, dispositions, asset management and property management activities on the West Coast. Chris has over 30 years’ commercial real estate experience in asset management, transactions and property management of office properties as well as logistics and retail. He has previously held senior leadership roles within Macquarie Asset Management and the Fremont Group. Chris has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a focus on Finance, from California State University, Sacramento.

Claudia Steimer-Lenz

  • Claudia is the Head of Human Resources at Manova. She is an experienced and empathetic HR Specialist with over 25 years professional experience in human resources. Before joining she held leadership roles in banking (sales and central functions) as well as change and communication projects and has a proven track record in implementing transformation processes in SMEs and international corporations.

Helmut Gierstorfer

  • Helmut Gierstorfer joined the group in 2006 and is the CFO of Manova Partners. He is responsible for overseeing HR, reporting, finance and tax and to ensure the capital structure and strategic growth. Prior to joining Manova, Helmut was working as a certified tax consultant for a well-known German tax and audit company, mainly responsible for the audit and tax structuring of German and international companies. Helmut Gierstorfer holds a Master in Business Science from the University of Regensburg.

Jitka Steinmetz

  • Jitka is Chief Operating Officer at Manova Partners, responsible for driving the company’s operational and digital transformation and delivering on comprehensive business performance and growth objectives. She previously held executive leadership roles, including over seven years at McKinsey & Company and as Managing Director for a group of companies at DXC Technology. Jitka holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science, Psychology, and Linguistics from TU Berlin and Humboldt University.

Jörg Fuchs

  • Jörg leads Manova’s local team in Luxembourg and is responsible for administering the companies unregulated and regulated fund structures. He is also Manova’s Luxemburg Branch Manager. Jörg joined the business in 2009 and has previously been working on fund accounting out of Munich.

Laetitia Treves

  • Laetitia is Head of European Transactions at Manova Partners, responsible for acquisition and strategic divestment activity across Europe. Laetitia was previously Global Head of Investment at Primonial Real Estate Investment Management France, managing a range of transactions across the retail, office, healthcare, residential and hospitality sectors. Laetitia holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Management at ESSEC Business School in Paris, France.

Mara Gruenwald

  • Mara is Chief Compliance Officer of Manova and Managing Director of the groups’ KVG, where she is responsible for all aspects of compliance, AML/CTF and internal audit. Mara has 22 years of experience in funds and asset management and held several senior compliance positions at Macquarie including Global Co-Head of Real Estate Compliance. She was also previously Head of AML/CTF and Deputy Head of Compliance at WealthCap. Mara has a degree and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences, Germany. She is a graduate of the Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA®) programme from DVFA.

Martin Müller

  • Martin is the Head of Fund Management, Germany, responsible for Manova’s German-domiciled funds, as well as treasury and liquidity management, fund operations, and the Standardisation and Digitalisation Group. Martin also is Managing Director of the groups’ KVG. Previously, Martin was the Head of Accounting, Controlling, and Reporting for GLL Real Estate Partners GmbH and an Auditor for Dr. Kleeberg & Partner GmbH. He holds a business studies diploma from Saarbrücken University, Germany, as well as a Certificate in International Accounting designation.

Melanie Schumann

  • Melanie is the Head of Legal at Manova, responsible for legal and governance matters across Real Estate. She is a senior funds and transaction lawyer with more than 22 years of experience and has previously worked across a range of private practices (leading global law firms) in Munich, Frankfurt and London before moving in-house as legal counsel for UBS Asset Management. Melanie holds a Law Degree from the LMU Munich University as well as a License en Droit from the University Panthéon-Assas in Paris. She is admitted to the Munich Bar.

Thomas Collins

  • In setting-up and heading our Seoul Office, Tom has been instrumental in establishing the Manova Partners presence in Asia and closing $2 billion of acquisitions for Korean institutional investors. With more than 25 years of experience in international real estate and investment banking, Tom has also served as a Korean government official overseeing large-scale real estate development projects. Prior to Manova, Tom established the CBRE Korea equity and debt placement business. Tom graduated from The College of the Holy Cross in the U.S. and holds a B.A. in Economics.

Martin Unglert

  • Martin is Head of ESG at Manova and also responsible for real estate development projects and major refurbishments. Previously, Martin was a Senior Fund Manager at MEAG, the Asset Manager of Munich Re, overseeing funds in Europe and Asia, and a Project Manager for a Real Estate developer in Munich. Martin holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Munich, Germany, and a Master of Business Administration with a focus on real estate management from the Biberach University, Germany. He is a member of ULI Europe.

Maximilian Leyser

  • Maximilian is the Head of Business Development & Marketing, responsible for the creating of new products and our growth strategy across the globe. He further oversees all of Manova’s marketing and external communications initiatives. Prior to this role Maximilian was working in our Capital Raising as well as Portfolio Management teams. Maximilian holds a Bachelor from EBS University in Oestrich-Winkel and an Executive MBA from IESE in Barcelona.

Oltmann Ahlers

  • Oltmann is Head of Latin America at Manova Partners, responsible for our operations in Mexico, Chile and Peru. He joined the firm in 2016 and previously held roles in transactions and asset management, as well as business development. Prior to Manova, Oltmann led mixed-use projects at Metro de Santiago, Chile’s developer and operator of the metro systems. Oltmann holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Real Estate from Columbia University, New York, USA.

Valentina Menni

  • Valentina is Co‑Head of Portfolio Management at Manova Partners, where she is responsible for overseeing all funds. She brings over 13 years of portfolio management experience, having managed several institutional funds investing globally across multiple sectors. Valentina holds a degree in International Political Science and a Master’s in Real Estate from Bocconi University.

Thilo Kaiser

  • Thilo is Co‑Head of Portfolio Management at Manova Partners, where he oversees all funds. Since joining the firm in 2008, he has held senior roles managing a range of institutional funds with global, multi‑sector investment strategies. Prior to joining Manova Partners, Thilo worked in Ernst & Young’s Real Estate Advisory practice. He holds a diploma in Business Administration from the University of Augsburg and a degree in Real Estate Economics from IREBS.

Jochen Schnier

  • Jochen Schnier is Chief Risk Officer of Manova and Managing Director of the group’s KVG. He has over 20 years of experience in real estate risk and portfolio management and has held leadership roles including Head of Investment and Business Performance, US COO and Portfolio Manager. Previously Jochen worked for MEAG, Munich Re’s Asset Management arm. He has an academic background in economics from the University of Cologne, Germany.

Dimitri Maillard

  • Dimitri is Head of Asset Management Western and Southern Europe at Manova Partners, responsible for our regional asset management strategy and leadership of our dedicated local team.

    Dimitri was previously Head of Asset & Property Management, member of the Management Committee at Perial Asset Management, managing assets across the retail, office, healthcare, residential and hospitality sectors.

    Dimitri Maillard holds a master’s degree in real estate from the University of Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne, as well as an Executive MBA from ESCP Business School.

  • Łukasz is Co-Head of Asset Management Europe at Manova Partners, co-responsible for our European asset management strategy, and directly leads the CEE and Nordics team responsible for a portfolio of over 1.1 million sqm across office and logistics assets. Previously, Łukasz held senior roles at Hines Polska, including Asset Management Director and Head of Legal overseeing all real estate and corporate legal matters. Łukasz holds an MSc in Real Estate from the University of Reading, UK, a Master of Law from the University of Law and Commerce, Warsaw, and is a qualified attorney-at-law of the Warsaw Bar Association.

Łukasz Pawikowski