LONDON-CB Richard Ellis Investors has hired Jean Lamothe as president of the company’s Europe division. Lamothe, with 24 years experience in Latin America, Asia and locally, comes from stints at Otera Capital and Caisse de depot.

In an interview with GlobeSt.com, Lamothe admits that Europe is facing challenges. The European Union agreed on Sunday to an $89 billion bailout for Ireland, with additional assistance from the International Monetary Fund. “There are some structural issues for some European countries, but they’ve seen other crises in the past. Every time Europe faces challenges, they seem to be reacting better and quicker. I think politically, they’re getting it together,” he says.

Investment is still attracted to core areas of Europe, such as the office markets of London, Paris and Milan. “There’s still some opportunities in terms of redevelopment and repositioning,” Lamothe says. “Though investors have to be really cautious, and differentiate good managers from second-tier managers.”

Peter DiCorpo, global COO with CBRE Investors, tells GlobeSt.com that this hire allows the company to move its business to “the next level.” The European division has total assets under management of nearly $12.7 billion as of 2009, and a team of more than 160 professionals. “Jean brings a combination of institutional experience and leadership to help us grow our business in Europe,” DiCorpo says.