July 2026 - Harbert Management Corporation Welcomes Matilda Williams, Managing Director and Head of European Capital Formation

Harbert Management Corporation expands European investor coverage with new capital formation hire

·  Matilda Williams joins U.S.-based alternatives manager from global real estate investment manager AEW

·  Williams brings over 15 years’ experience in investor relations and related fields, with prior roles including Senior Vice President - Investor Relations at PineBridge Benson Elliot

·  With a focus on maintaining existing client relationships and growing new ones, Williams will take an expanding role covering both European and U.S. real assets strategies

Harbert Management Corporation (HMC), a U.S.-based alternative asset manager specialising in real assets, has announced the appointment of Matilda Williams as Managing Director and Head of European Capital Formation.

Williams joins HMC from global real estate investment manager AEW, where she was an Executive Director in the Investor Relations team. Prior to AEW, Williams was Senior Vice President - Investor Relations at PineBridge Benson Elliot, where she played a key role in raising over €1.5 billion of equity for the pan-European private real estate manager’s value-add fund series. 

As HMC’s Head of European Capital Formation, Williams will have primary responsibility for maintaining relationships with existing European clients, while also looking to develop new limited partner (LPs) relationships with European institutional investors and family offices. 

Based in HMC’s London office, which was established in 2001, Williams will report to HMC’s Global Head of Capital Formation Lee Purcell. She will also work closely with Executive Vice President John Harbert and Senior Managing Directors David King and Florent Danset, who co-lead HMC’s European real estate investment platform, Harbert European Real Estate (HERE).

Williams, who brings over 15 years of experience in investor relations and related fields, will focus on supporting the HERE platform, while also leading client engagement for HMC’s U.S.-focused real asset strategies, which include real estate, power and seniors housing.

Matilda Williams, Head of European Capital Formation at Harbert Management Corporation, said: “This role offered the opportunity to join an independent trans-Atlantic real assets specialist with a long and enviable track record. As the trend towards manager consolidation continues, I expect to see heightened investor demand for independent managers who are close not only to their assets but also their clients through genuine alignment of interest. In meeting the team here, what stood out to me was the strength of the internal culture and the dedication the team has for both their work and client outcomes.”

Lee Purcell, Global Head of Capital Formation at Harbert Management Corporation, said: “Bringing in experienced external talent like Matilda, alongside the depth we have built internally, is how we sharpen our collective intelligence and continue HMC’s success and growth in Europe. Matilda has built her career on the same principles and values we hold ourselves to: a genuine service culture that puts clients first, an uncompromising standard of excellence in how she operates, and a commitment to authentic partnership with the investors she serves.” 

About Harbert Management Corporation

HMC is an alternative asset manager with approximately $7.8 billion in Regulatory Assets Under Management as of June 30, 2026. Founded in 1993, the firm is privately owned and serves a variety of institutional investors across multiple asset classes. Investment strategies include European and U.S. real estate, seniors housing, power, growth capital, and credit solutions. For additional information, visit www.harbert.net.

About Harbert European Real Estate

Founded in 2002, Harbert European Real Estate is one of Europe’s longest-tenured value-add real estate investors. With established offices in the UK, France, and Spain, the platform has invested across market cycles in Western Europe, building deep local networks and strong on-the-ground execution capabilities.  

HERE targets investment opportunities across the residential and living, industrial and logistics, and retail sectors in Europe’s most liquid markets. The focus is on high-quality assets where active management, repositioning, or development has the potential to unlock sustainable value. 

Click the link to read exclusive coverage in Green Street News: Europe by Robin Marriott.