BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM) has strengthened its private debt and real assets investment division, headed by David Bouchoucha, with four appointments. All four are based in Paris.

Stéphanie Passet has been appointed chief investment officer for infrastructure debt, reporting to Karen Azoulay, head of infrastructure debt. Ms Passet has considerable multi-sector expertise across international infrastructure debt origination and structuring.

Prior to joining BNPP AM, Ms Passet spent 19 years at Crédit Agricole CIB, joining in New York and spending six years in Project Finance before moving to Securitisation.

Romain Linot has been appointed Chief Investment Officer for Real Estate Debt, reporting to Christophe Montcerisier, Head of Real Estate Debt. Mr Linot has a wealth of experience of real estate financing from both the buy-side and sell-side.

Prior to joining BNPP AM, Mr Linot was head of real estate finance for Continental Europe at Aviva Investors, establishing the company’s European real estate debt platform, before which he was a senior fund manager within commercial real estate finance at AXA IM.

Mohamed El Jani has joined the Structured Finance team as an investment manager, reporting to Michel Fryszman, Head of Structured Finance. Mr El Jani will help strengthen the team as it grows its capabilities within securitisation and private portfolios.

Mr El Jani has eight years of financial sector experience and joined BNPP AM from BNP Paribas CIB, where he was a quantitative analyst in the Credit Portfolio Management Solutions team within the Securitised Products Group

Irene Bárcena has joined the SME Lending team as an analyst, reporting to Christophe Carrasco, Head of SME Lending. In addition to her credit analysis and portfolio management responsibilities, Irene will help to develop origination capabilities in Spain.

She has four years of financial sector experience and joined BNPP AM from BNP Paribas CIB where she was an associate in corporate coverage EMEA for strategic clients within the telecommunications, beverages, chemicals and petroleum services sector

These four appointments are all within BNPP AM’s real assets, SME lending and structured finance team, headed by Laurent Gueunier,

David Bouchoucha, Head of Private Debt & Real Assets at BNP Paribas Asset Management, said in a statement: “Private debt and real assets have become essential components of investors' asset allocation, as they ensure stable income and diversification of credit exposure. The strengthening of our teams with talented experts confirms BNP Paribas Asset Management's positioning as a major player in private debt in Europe.”