Craig Hughes Named CEO of Mountpark as Affinius Capital Advances Pan-European Logistics Platform

Affinius Capital and Mountpark announced on September 1, 2026, the appointment of Craig Hughes as Chief Executive Officer of Mountpark, Affinius's wholly owned pan-European logistics development company. Hughes will assume responsibility for Mountpark's leadership and business execution, advancing its development strategy and continued growth across key European logistics markets.

A Planned Leadership Transition Following Affinius's Full Buyout

The appointment represents a planned evolution of Mountpark's leadership structure following Affinius Capital's acquisition of full ownership of the business in 2024. That transaction made Mountpark a wholly owned pan-European logistics development subsidiary, giving Affinius direct control over both the development platform and a substantial European logistics land bank.

Justin Hildebrandt, who returned to lead Mountpark in 2024, will remain closely involved as Partner and Head of Europe at Affinius, continuing to oversee the firm's broader European strategy and providing strategic oversight to Mountpark.

"When I returned to lead Mountpark, the intention was always to establish the right long-term leadership structure for the business. Craig brings a broad real estate perspective, significant operational leadership experience and a strong understanding of the needs of our customers and investors," said Justin Hildebrandt. "I look forward to working closely with Craig as he assumes leadership of Mountpark and guides the business and the team through its next phase of growth."

Craig Hughes Brings Capital Markets and Advisory Depth

Prior to joining Mountpark, Craig Hughes held prominent leadership positions across professional services and real estate advisory. He served as Global Real Estate Leader at PwC, where he also led PwC's UK real estate practice and its global sovereign wealth fund real estate network. Earlier in his career, he was Ernst & Young's Head of Real Estate, Hospitality & Construction for the UK and Ireland.

Since leaving PwC, Hughes served as CEO of a division of a technology-enabled business services company, as a Senior Advisor to a decarbonisation business leading a buyout project, and as an adviser on transactions in the real estate market. Outside his corporate roles, he has maintained active engagement with the Urban Land Institute, LandAid and the British Property Federation.

Hughes will be based at Mountpark's London office.

"Mountpark has built an exceptional pan-European logistics platform, distinguished by the quality of its people, its local-market expertise and its ability to deliver modern logistics facilities tailored to its customers' needs," Hughes said. "I am excited to join the business at an important point in its evolution and to work with Justin, Affinius Capital and the Mountpark team to strengthen operations, support disciplined growth and build upon the company's long-standing relationships across Europe."

Mountpark's Scale and Recent Activity

Mountpark has already delivered 1.64 million square meters of logistics development and has 18 sites secured for future development totalling more than 3.3 million square meters across Europe. Mountpark's logistics footprint spans the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Recent activity underscores the platform's breadth: in Ireland, Mountpark has invested over €300 million in the two-phase Mountpark Baldonnell scheme, comprising seven logistics units totalling approximately 1.39 million square feet, with one building pre-let to DSV. In France, Mountpark developed Mountpark Chartres 2 in Illiers-Combray, a 35,583-square-meter Grade A warehouse and office facility certified BREEAM Excellent, EPC A and BiodiverCity; Affinius and Mountpark sold that asset to Clarion Partners Europe in early 2026.

The Hughes appointment is part of a broader series of senior hires at Mountpark in 2026. Tom Mills joined as Director for Capital Markets in April, and the company announced a Country Director appointment to drive growth in France in September, signalling an active effort to build out the platform's operational and commercial leadership.

Platform Positioning in a Maturing European Logistics Cycle

The appointment comes as European logistics markets transition from a post-pandemic development boom into a more supply-constrained, operationally intensive phase. With Affinius having completed its full buyout of Mountpark in 2024 and the developer controlling a pipeline exceeding 3.3 million square meters, the emphasis for the platform is shifting toward governance, capital deployment discipline and occupier alignment across its European footprint.

Sources

Mountpark — Craig Hughes Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Mountpark