Our team

Nicholas Porter is Founder of GSA, where he is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the Company and supporting on capital and debt raising with key investors and financial institutions.

Nicholas has been a pioneer in the purpose-built student housing sector for over 30 years. In 2013, he founded GSA, quickly expanding into new markets and creating a unique offering of being the leading real estate and investment asset manager in student housing.

Prior to this, Nicholas founded The UNITE Group in 1991 and built the company to a FTSE 250-listed entity and the largest owner of student accommodation in the UK. In 2007, Nicholas went on to create Urbanest with operations in Australia and the UK, which was successfully sold in 2014. 

Ben Harvie is Global Head of Investment Management at GSA, where he is responsible for managing global investment funds, partnerships and capital raising. 

Previously, Ben was Head of GSA Coral, a specialist regulated vehicle for sophisticated investors, family offices and private wealth managers which invests in the global purpose-built student accommodation sector. In 2016, Ben led the integration of the Coral portfolio into the wider GSA Group platform. 

Prior to this, Ben was Head of Funds Management for Centuria Capital, one of Australia’s largest REIT managers, where he was responsible for a portfolio of c.AUD$1.0 billion of real estate funds. Before that Ben worked for the Miller Group Ltd, one of the UK’s largest privately owned housebuilding, construction and development companies. 

Ben has a First Class Honours degree from the University of Oxford and an MA in Property Investment and is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

James Hunt is Global Head of Real Estate for GSA, where he leads the global real estate team and is responsible for the expansion of its real estate portfolio through the acquisition of development opportunities and investment properties.

James is a Chartered Surveyor with over 20 years’ experience of the purpose-built student accommodation sector in the UK, Europe, Australasia and the USA. He has a track record of delivering complex projects and has experience across investment strategy, acquisitions, development, asset management, joint ventures and university partnerships.

James joined GSA in 2018 and prior to this worked for The UNITE Group plc for 17 years, where he held a variety of senior positions including as a member of the management board and leading its annual development programme delivering c.5,000 beds per annum. 

Mark Ortiz is GSA’s Chief Financial Officer, where he oversees all finance, tax, risk and compliance functions. In his role Mark ensures that GSA’s financial strategy is aligned with the business’ broader strategic objectives.

Mark has more than 28 years’ experience from a diverse career spent  working for a variety of businesses under the GE umbrella. He has proven success driving business growth and a track record of building and leading finance organisations in the US, Europe, and Asia.

While Mark is based in GSA’s New York office, he regularly visits our international teams and portfolio, bringing his inherently global perspective, derived from working, traveling, and living across more than 20 countries.

In addition to his role with GSA, Mark is currently an Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Upgrade, Inc. He is also a board member and Treasurer of the Carver Foundation of Norwalk. Mark holds bachelor’s degrees in finance and economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and speaks English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

John Jacobs is  Global Head of Capital Markets ​at GSA, where he ​manages both the debt and new equity teams. ​

The debt team is responsible for the origination for ​new funding transactions within existing and new markets and ​the overall refinancing strategy for AUM of in excess of $​5bn. ​The equity team is responsible for new capital raising activity.

John joined GSA in 2017 and has over ​20 years’ experience in corporate banking, real estate and negotiating property transactions in multiple countries including the US, UK, Spain, Australia, and Ireland. Prior to GSA, John spent 13 years in ​corporate banking in Ireland.

John has a BA Economics from University College Dublin (UCD) and is a ​qualified chartered banker. 

Alec Burger is a growth-focused executive with broad global sector experience. Through his career, Alec has led significant business expansion and strategic turnarounds in extremely challenging operating environments. Alec has a track record of capital raising and complex finance; he is a former President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Capital, GECAS (aircraft leasing and financing) and GE Capital Real Estate.

Alec began his career as a Mechanical Engineer at Cabot Corporation in Boston, MA, and worked as a Management Consultant at Bain & Company before joining GE. Alec earned an Executive MBA from the High Technology MBA Program at Northeastern University and holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. He has served as Vice Chairman of the Connecticut Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and a board member of the Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, CT. Alec is a dual US and UK citizen.

Rick Pudner is a Non-Executive Director for GSA. Rick is one of the most respected bankers in the Middle East and has more than 33 years of banking experience across the globe. He started his career with the HSBC Group and spent 25 years in various senior management roles in Hong Kong, London, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Dubai, Frankfurt, Vanuatu and South Korea.

Rick joined Emirates Bank International in April 2006 as Group CEO, leading the merger with the National Bank of Dubai to create a regional banking champion. Alongside this, he also undertook numerous board roles during his tenure. Rick was Chairman of Emirates NBD Asset Management and a board member of Network International, Emirates Fund Managers Jersey Ltd, Emirates Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD Capital and Tanfeeth.
 

Nick Collins joined the GSA Board in September 2021 as Non-Executive Director and is an integral part of the transaction team and Chair of the investment committee. Nick supports the team on capital and transactional negotiations maintaining key protocols and a culture of strong corporate governance.

Nick is an experienced transactional lawyer and has led multi-jurisdictional transactions for over 30 years at Nabarro and CMS.

Andrew Reid is GSA’s General Counsel. He provides general legal, company secretarial, corporate governance and compliance advice across the business. 
 
Andrew joined GSA in 2013 and has extensive knowledge of the student accommodation sector, having been Company Secretary and Group Legal Officer of The UNITE Group plc between 2000 and 2013. Prior to joining UNITE, Andrew was a solicitor in private practice for more than 15 years.