My internship experience in the Portfolio Management team
– Henna Takanen, Portfolio Management intern, Helsinki (Spring 2025)
Having had previous experience in real estate, I was eager to learn more about the industry and deepen my understanding from a private equity and investor perspective. I was drawn to Nrep not only because of its strong Nordic footprint and reputation but also because of its value-driven approach.
The opportunity to work in the Portfolio Management team provided me with exposure to the full lifecycle of real estate investments. I also got to expand my experience into new segments, working with residential properties after earlier experience in retail and office assets.
What is Portfolio Management at Nrep?
At Nrep, Portfolio Management acts as the glue between different functions, sitting at the intersection of transactions, asset management, and strategy, while focusing on one of the main segments, in my case, Living. The team plays a key role in setting investment strategies, validating new investment opportunities, maximizing the performance of investments after acquisition, setting the exit strategy, and preparing assets for exit. We work closely with multiple teams across the organization, notably transaction teams during acquisitions, asset management throughout the holding period, and with other teams whenever needed (e.g. fund management, investor relations, and debt financing).
In contrast to some other real estate firms, Nrep’s PM team operates mainly at strategic level with a strong focus on the big picture and portfolio-wide insights. Rather than being directly involved in managing buildings day-to-day, we focus on strategic topics: performance tracking, capital allocation, exit planning, and continuous value creation across the portfolio. One interesting aspect of Portfolio Management at Nrep is the fact that the PM teams are international and collaborate across countries. While transaction teams typically operate locally, our work spans multiple markets and requires alignment with colleagues across geographies. The Finnish PM team works with Living investments in Finland, Poland, and Germany and collaborates closely with PM colleagues in Denmark.
Key Experiences and Learnings
During my internship, I worked on a variety of projects and tasks. These mainly revolved around investment modelling and performance tracking, as well as analysing opportunities to improve both asset performance and our internal processes. In addition to supportive analytical work, I had the chance to take the role of driving one project from start to finish, giving me a good opportunity to develop my project management skills.
It was also fascinating to follow the busy spring fundraising season and observe how different teams collaborate to support investor dialogue. Beyond the work itself, we made time to have fun – from outdoor activities in Nuuksio to trips to Copenhagen, the internship offered a great mix of learning, ownership, and community.
It was also fascinating to follow the busy spring fundraising season and observe how different teams collaborate to support investor dialogue. Beyond the work itself, we made time to have fun – from outdoor activities in Nuuksio to trips to Copenhagen, the internship offered a great mix of learning, ownership, and community.
Looking back, this internship gave me valuable insight into real estate private equity and the full investment lifecycle. I would recommend this experience to anyone interested in combining analytical work with strategic thinking through diverse tasks and to those curious about how value is created beyond the acquisition phase.
What stood out to me most was the level of trust and ownership given to interns, the exposure to real impact, and the opportunity to learn from smart and driven colleagues. The experience has equipped me with new skills, a broader industry perspective, and motivation to keep learning.