David Owen
Previously a specialist in asset and tax based asset finance with Societe General, Royal Bank of Scotland and IAF Group, David established European Structured Leasing Limited in 1992. For the first 6 years of existence, ESL concentrated on cross border transactions most notably with the New York City Transit Authority and Metropolitan Transit Authority as well as acting as advisor to West LB bank on its acquisition of a leasing company from Greenwich NatWest.
In 1998 ESL Properties was formed and since then has worked as an arranger providing UK based property investments to Danish private investors. Those investors benefited from tax relief on certain types of property investment and this has driven the acquisition of the +£500m portfolio now managed on behalf of the Danish clients by Vector. In the early years high street retail, leisure and retail warehousing dominated purchases and latterly, pubs, hotels and healthcare. Portfolios acquired include as tenants, Sainsbury, Somerfields, Iceland, Rank Leisure, Wetherspoon, Luminar, Accor, Southern Cross and BUPA.
David has diversified ESL Properties’ activities into equity and capital investments which has been reflected in its change of name to Vector Capital Investments (VCI) within the Vector Property Group. VCI has invested equity in residential and mixed use developments, and purchased a number of investments including Southern Cross care homes for its own book. Capital investments have included providing medium term funding to bridging finance company Link Lending, restaurant group Fish to Go as well as numerous short term mezzanine finance facilities.