Managing Director, Turnaround & Restructuring, Real Estate

About Ankura Real Estate Advisory

Ankura Real Estate Advisory (AREA) provides independent, specialist, and strategic advice to clients holding stressed, sub-performing, and non-performing real estate debt across all asset classes. Leveraging a globally integrated team across the US, EMEA, and Asia Pacific, AREA delivers tailored solutions spanning single asset situations through to complex, multi jurisdictional portfolios and capital structures. Our work extends beyond the underlying real estate to include offshore structures, shareholder dynamics, and capital stack optimisation - ensuring holistic and value maximising outcomes for clients.

Why Join Ankura?

• Opportunity to build and shape a high growth platform within a leading global advisory firm
• Direct exposure to complex, high profile real estate situations
• Collaborative, entrepreneurial culture with global reach and resources
• Clear pathway to partnership and long term value creation

Role Overview

We are seeking a Managing Director to play a pivotal role in building and scaling our EMEA Real Estate Turnaround & Restructuring platform from London. This is a front office, revenue generating leadership role, combining origination, client leadership, and execution oversight. The successful candidate will be responsible for expanding the firm's presence with financial institutions, alternative lenders, private equity, and special situations investors. You will work closely with global leadership to drive strategy, win mandates, and deliver complex advisory assignments across distressed and special situations in real estate.

Impact You Will Make

• Originate and lead revenue generation across distressed real estate and special situations mandates in EMEA
• Build trusted relationships with senior decision makers across banks, debt funds, servicers, and investors
• Shape and execute the growth strategy for the EMEA platform in close alignment with global leadership
• Lead the delivery of complex, high value mandates, ensuring excellence in execution
• Act as a connector across Ankura's global practices, bringing integrated solutions to clients
• Identify emerging market trends and translate them into new business opportunities and solutions

Key Responsibilities Business Development & Revenue Generation

• Develop and execute a clear origination strategy targeting financial institutions, lenders, and investors
• Build and maintain a strong personal pipeline of advisory mandates
• Leverage existing relationships while actively expanding network across EMEA
• Lead pitch processes and convert opportunities into profitable engagements

Client Leadership

• Act as a senior trusted advisor to clients facing complex stressed/distressed real estate situations
• Navigate and influence senior stakeholders, including lenders, sponsors, and boards
• Lead negotiations and strategic discussions across multi party restructuring scenarios

Execution Oversight

• Provide strategic direction and oversight across engagements, including loan portfolio reviews and restructuring strategies, distressed asset and portfolio disposals, and capital structure advisory and recapitalisations
• Ensure delivery of high quality, timely outputs leveraging advanced analytics and tools
• Collaborate with internal experts (valuation, insolvency, tax, forensic, etc.)

Leadership & Platform Building

• Build, mentor, and develop a high performing EMEA team
• Work closely with US and Asia Pac colleagues to drive cross border collaboration
• Contribute to practice development, including thought leadership and market positioning
• Foster a performance driven, entrepreneurial culture

Requirements Experience & Track Record

• Proven track record of revenue generation within real estate advisory, restructuring, or special situations
• Significant experience advising on distressed or stressed real estate debt and assets
• Established relationships with financial institutions, credit funds, and/or real estate investors
• Demonstrated ability to originate and lead multi million pound advisory mandates

Technical Expertise

• Deep understanding of real estate valuation methodologies, debt structures and capital stacks, distressed transactions, restructurings, and workouts
• Strong analytical and financial modelling capabilities
• Familiarity with data tools (e.g., Excel, Power BI, Tableau)

Credentials

• Strong academic background
• Relevant professional qualification (e.g., CFA, ACA, ACCA, MRICS) preferred

Leadership & Personal Attributes

• Entrepreneurial mindset with a builder mentality
• Strong presence and credibility with senior stakeholders
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills
• Ability to operate effectively in complex, fast paced, and unstructured environments
• Collaborative, globally minded, and culturally adaptable

Additional Requirements

• Willingness and flexibility to travel across jurisdictions
• Experience working in cross border environments advantageous

Equal Employment Opportunity

Ankura is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability. Equal Employment Opportunity Posters, if you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening, submit an online application, or participate in an interview/assessment, please email or call toll free +1 This email and phone number are created exclusively to assist disabled job seekers whose disability prevents them from being able to apply online. Only messages left for this purpose will be returned. Messages left for other purposes, such as following up on an application or technical issues unrelated to a disability, will not receive a response.