Thomas Olek gained great fame through his extraordinary real estate deals and was perceived as a pioneer in the industry. He was the first provider in Germany to receive approval for a public AIF fund—a milestone that also enabled private investors to participate in the booming real estate market and at the same time represented a major pillar of his success.

After working as a consultant for the Sächsische Landesbank, Thomas Olek took control of Publity AG in 2003 and built it into the second-largest listed asset manager for office properties in Germany. His recipe for success: consistent big data analysis, a strategic "buy low, manage to core" approach, and a keen sense for the right timing in transactions. On this basis, he acquired office properties, specifically increased their value, and then sold them as first-class assets. Under Olek's leadership, Publity AG aggressively expanded into the German real estate market starting in 2004. At times, the company managed real estate assets of 5 to 8 billion euros and a portfolio with more than 300 properties. Olek himself was celebrated as a "self-made billionaire" and at times held over 82 percent of the shares in his company.

First German License for Alternative Investment Funds

Thomas Olek achieved a milestone in February 2014 with the launch of the Publity Performance Fund No. 7, an Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) that was designed for a broad public for the first time under the strict requirements of the German Investment Code (KAGB). The fund, with an issue capital of 100 million euros, focused on lucrative investments in German office properties, a segment with high return potential.

For this project, Olek was the first provider to receive approval from the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). At the same time, the authority granted his subsidiary, Publity Performance GmbH, the first nationwide investment company license (KVG license) to launch such funds—a double success that created the basis for Publity AG's fund activities. Publity AG acted as the fund's asset manager and issuing house, while Publity Performance GmbH, as the investment company (KVG) with a banking license, took over the administration.

Subsequently, Thomas Olek, through Publity AG, was able to raise more than 400 million euros from around 10,000 private investors for his Funds No. 1 to 8 and over 2 billion euros from institutional investors for special AIFs. While Funds 1 to 5, known as NPL funds ("Non Performing Loans"), specialized in buying non-performing loan claims from German banks and generated returns through active debt management, Funds 6 to 8 focused on the favorable acquisition of office properties in metropolitan areas with the aim of realizing their appreciation and selling them at a profit. Thomas Olek was able to rely on a sales network to which more than 2,000 financial brokers were connected, all of whom had the required 34 F license, a special permit under the German trade regulations.