One of the directors of the Irish property investment company behind high-profile coups such as the Savoy Hotel deal in London is set to defect.
Matt Jones is leaving Quinlan Private, the vehicle founded by tax consultant Derek Quinlan, to join Hamilton Osborne King's (HOK) commercial division.
Mr Jones has been with Quinlan Private for seven years, and had responsibility for advising its high-net worth clients on managing their wealth and assets, the original purpose for which the firm was set up.
He is understood to be joining HOK's commercial property operation, which director Michael Moriarty recently vacated to join Goodbody.
Quinlan Private hit the headlines in mid-2004 when it successfully bid €1.1 billion for the Savoy Hotel group in London, buying it from venture capitalist firm Blackstone.
The assets included the Savoy itself, which it later sold on to one of the other bidders, Saudi billionaire Prince Awaleed bil Tala al-Saud, for a reported €300 million.
The rest of the package was made up of Claridges, the Berkeley and the Connaught hotels. The firm was already active in Europe at that point, and has since gone on to do deals in the US.
Mr Quinlan is a revenue inspector turned tax adviser who made his name devising schemes for high-net worth clients who wanted to invest in property developments that benefited from tax incentives.
