MSc Real Estate Investment Finance: Student Profiles

Guillermo Probst and Charles Kanugi

The Real Estate Investment Finance (REIF) programme at Oxford Brookes attracts students from across the world - bringing students together online. I caught up with two of our students: Guillermo Probst, an Architect who is based in Uruguay and Charles Kanugi, Head of Property Investment at Britam in Nairobi (Kenya). Both students have just completed the MSc REIF and agreed to answer my questions...

What is your background? 
Guillermo Probst (GP): I am an Architect, and have been working independently for 15 years. Most of my work is related to residential developing in Montevideo, Uruguay. I have also taken specific courses on Finance.

Charles Kanugi (CK): I pursued a BA in Land Economics in my undergrad. My main areas of practice post university were in property valuation and feasibility studies.

Why did you decide to do a course in Real Estate Investment Finance?
GP: I take part in the Investment Analysis  of the projects I am involved as an Architect. I  decided to do the MSc REIF because I wanted to increase my knowledge on the matter to have more tools for analysis and provide better insights. Besides I wish  to broaden my professional practice to a more international one, and thought the MSc was an important step in that direction.

CK: I transitioned into property asset management and I needed more grounding in this field. I needed a course that blended real estate, financing and fund management aspects of it. I found that in REIF.

Why did you choose the MSc REIF at Oxford Brookes?
GP: Since having a family  in Montevideo I had to choose an online program. Between  the ones I found, the MSc REIF at Oxford Brookes was the one that integrated all the aspects I was looking for: distance learning, program length and focus on International Real Estate. Other programs were more focused on their own national realities.

CK: The course outline was a perfect match for my expectations including RICS accreditation. The flexibility was equally attractive not to mention the institutions strong heritage and competitive ranking.

What did you gain from the course and how has it helped you in your career?
GP: I gained a more detailed knowledge  about the Real Estate worldwide, specifically finance, regulations, and their interactions.

CK: The course was very practical and applicable every way through my job. It opened my mind to global perspectives as well. All of these came in handy in my day to day property fund management role.

What did you choose/will you choose for your dissertation topic and why?
GP: I chose to study the impact of Prop Tech Platforms in Low Transparency Markets in my home country of Uruguay. I focused on hospitality platforms such as Airbnb. I see Real Estate is changing at a strong pace, as most other areas of the economy and I wanted to focus on how these technological changes will impact developing countries with low transparency real estate markets. The case of Airbnb selection is because during my current practice as an Architect I see the impact it is beginning to have in investment decisions.

CK: I delved into a comparative analysis between Kenyan REIT market and 6 other jurisdictions spread across Europe, Americas, AME and Asia Pacific. My focus was on the socioeconomic and regulatory factors and how they contribute to the growth of the REIT market wherein I was testing the case for a corporate REIT form in addition to the trust form. This was in realization that though a global perspective, the local dynamics contribute heavily into market perception and acceptance of the REIT concept. These local nuances led me into testing the corporate form.

Thanks for your time Guillermo and Charles. For more student profiles, take a look here:

REIF student profiles