Fiera Real Estate Appoints Ignacio Ruíz Gallego as Investment Associate to Support Iberian Expansion

Fiera Real Estate, part of Fiera Capital Corporation (US$112.3B AUM as of March 2025), has appointed Ignacio Ruíz Gallego as Investment Associate within its European Real Estate Debt team. His appointment marks a key move in Fiera’s strategic push into private markets across Iberia.

Previously Associate Director at CBRE Capital Advisors, Ruíz brings significant expertise in European real estate debt, particularly across Spain, with a focus on debt origination, refinancing, and capital structuring.

Working with Co-Heads of Fiera Real Estate’s European Debt Platform David Renshaw and Richard Howe, Ruíz will be responsible for originating and executing real estate debt investments in Spain and Portugal, he will play a key role in the ongoing growth of the European Debt Strategy which forms part of Fiera Capital’s global US$5.4 billion private credit platform. Moreover, Fiera Capital offers private markets capabilities in Europe that include infrastructure, agriculture and timberland.

Launched in 2023, the pan-European Real Estate Debt Strategy already has already allocated capital into Spain with the completion of a €19.2 million development financing for a 221-bed PBSA (“Purpose Built Student Accommodation”) asset in Valencia and a €17.1 million development financing for a 290-bed PBSA asset in Alicante, and further investments in Spain are already in the pipeline.

Based in Madrid, Ruíz’s appointment underscores Fiera Capital’s broader commitment to Southern Europe, where the Company’s regional footprint is led by distribution veteran Manuel Dalla Corte, SVP, Head of Wholesale Switzerland and Head of Southern Europe. In the region, the Company has built a broad investor base within its public market equity solutions and is now focused on replicating the success in the private markets segment.

Richard Howe, Managing Director and Co-Head, European Real Estate Debt, Fiera Real Estate, said “With alternative lenders continuing to comprise a fraction of the funding landscape, the Iberian market presents a compelling opportunity for well-positioned players to capitalise on structural dislocation. Ruiz’s in-depth experience will prove invaluable in accelerating our real estate debt drive in Spain and Portugal, focused on the sweet spot of senior-secured loans to best-in-class sponsors.”

Ignacio Ruíz Gallego, Investment Associate, Fiera Real Estate, said: “Fiera’s European debt platform has carved out its presence in the Spanish market, buoyed by a significant supply/demand imbalance in the PBSA sector. As alternative lenders look to take up a growing share of a space once held near exclusively by banks, and borrowers become increasingly accustomed to working with non-bank sources, I look forward to further cementing Fiera’s presence in the Iberian market.”

Charles Allen, Head of European Real Estate, Fiera Real Estate, commented “Our European Debt Platform has already established itself as an early mover in the Spanish market, and Ignacio’s appointment will help us build on that momentum. It also reflects our ambition to deepen our presence in key European real estate markets and capitalise on the compelling opportunities we see across the region.”