Christopher Handte, Chief Executive Officer, Tokyo Trust Capital
Christopher Handte is Chief Executive Officer of Tokyo Trust Capital. Chris oversees all aspects of TTC’s inbound and outbound business, including investment strategy, sourcing and asset management. Chris has had a long career in Japanese real estate with experience in investment, asset management and lending. Previously, Chris was Head of BlackRock’s Real Estate business in Japan from 2015 to 2022. He was responsible for all investments for both core-plus and opportunistic mandates. BlackRock’s Asian Core-Plus Fund was the #1 ranked fund in its category in 2019 off the back of the Japan investments.
Chris began his real estate career in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group of Deutsche Bank in New York in 2001 and transferred to the CRE lending and securitization business in Japan in 2004. Shortly thereafter, Chris took over the non-recourse real estate lending team covering primarily investment funds at Shinsei Bank. He entirely revamped the business by structuring complex capital solutions, including the largest structured financing deal ever in Japan for the purchase of Pacific Century Place Building in 2006. During his tenure, he oversaw the origination and closing of over JPY 1.5 trillion (USD 15 billion) across over 40 transactions. He also managed Shinsei Bank’s first non-recourse real estate loan securitization and the resolution and restructuring of all financings after the GFC.
Chris also headed the structured finance business for GE Capital in Japan from 2011 to 2014. He ran his own advisory company from 2014 to 2015, during which time he originated an off-market, over USD 500 mm joint venture opportunity for Goldman Sachs with Shin Taiso, a private real estate company, for a redevelopment of an entire block in Shibuya.
Chris received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Princeton University and his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Tokyo Trust Capital was established in 2016 with the goal to become the leading asset manager in cross border real estate investments in Japan.
With global capital flows in real estate investments rapidly increasing, Tokyo Trust Capital caters to investor clients for both inbound and outbound opportunities to and from Japan. The firm brings a unique combination of an experienced local Japanese team with significant track record with western investment firms.
Leading the firm are Christopher Handte (CEO) and Shingo Okamoto (Managing Director) with the support of major shareholders MA Platform, Inc. (MAP) and TE Capital Partners Pte. Ltd. MAP is a private equity firm owned wholly by Mr. Akira Mori (Chairman of Mori Trust Co., Ltd. one of the largest privately held real estate developers in Japan). TE Capital Partners is an investment management firm affiliated with the Tong Eng Group, an established Singaporean real estate developer.
Since its inception, Tokyo Trust Capital has consummated real estate investment transactions in both Japan and the USA totaling over US$900 million.
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