James C. “Jim” Blakemore BA’90 is a partner of GreenOak Real Estate, based in London, the United Kingdom, and has oversight responsibility for the firm’s European fixed income strategies. The GreenOak European debt team manages over $1.9 billion of capital from institutional investors and is an active lender for commercial real estate properties located in the UK and across Western Europe.
Jim was previously European head of Lehman Brothers Global Real Estate Group for EMEA. In this role, he oversaw Lehman Brothers European on-balance sheet real estate activities including commercial mortgage and mezzanine lending. At Lehman Brothers, he served on its European Operating Committee, European Fixed Income Executive Committee as well as its Global Fixed Income Operating Committee.
Prior to coming to London, Jim worked at Lehman Brothers in New York where he originated and structured mortgage loans and CMBS transactions. Prior to joining Lehman Brothers, he was an attorney at Thacher Proffitt and Wood (New York) where he practiced real estate and securities law.
Jim is a trustee of the Prince’s Regeneration Trust. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council. He is a leader and supporter of a number of London based charities and community groups.
Jim holds a BA in history from Lewis & Clark College and a JD from New York University. He is married to Grace E. Hackmeier BA’91 who also received her degree in history. Jim and Grace are the owners of Whitetop Capital LLP, a business services firm registered in England and Wales. In the 1990s, Grace worked as a research associate and as a fundraiser in the development department of the New York Public Library. She has served on the Lewis & Clark Global Advisory Board since November 2020.
Jim and Grace have three children: Eliza, Henry, and Annabelle. They also spend time at their secondary home in Lake Tahoe, California.