Stamford, Connecticut-based Sorin Capital Management, an alternative investment firm specialising in commercial real estate debt and asset-backed securities, has appointed Brian R. DiDonato as a senior partner and member of the investment committee, responsible for commercial real estate debt, equity and special situation investments.

'Brian and I have known each other for over 10 years and share a common vision for opportunistic investing in today's volatile real estate and credit markets,' says Sorin Capital founder and chief executive Jim Higgins. 'Brian has great industry relationships and is an important addition to our existing investment team, which has deep experience across all disciplines of credit sensitive investing.'

Says DiDonato: 'Sorin presents a unique opportunity to join a real estate-focused hedge fund with the ability to invest across all sectors, both public and private, at a time when a multi-faceted team is crucial in order to capitalise on opportunities in this evolving credit cycle.'

DiDonato was previously president and chief investment officer of Capmark Investments, a real estate fund manager with over USD10bn in real estate debt and equity investments, and was a member of Capmark Financial Group's executive and investment committees.

Earlier he was an executive director in the securitised products group at Morgan Stanley and a vice president in the fixed-income division at UBS Securities. Before joining the investment industry, DiDonato spent five years as an aerospace engineering officer in the US Navy.

Sorin Capital Management, which also has offices in New York and Philadelphia, was founded by Higgins in 2004 and currently manages USD1.4bn in a variety of fixed-income and real estate securities.