M&G Investments, Hines, Gecina, Peachtree Group, Blackstone Real Estate, ARK, Cbus Property, Link REIT, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, PNW Railcars, The Nuclear Company
Blackstone Real Estate – Katie Keenan has been appointed CEO and a director of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, (BREIT) and global head of the core-plus real estate business. She succeeds Wesley M LePatner, who served in both roles until her tragic passing on 28 July 2025. Keenan is a long-tenured Blackstone executive and has held numerous leadership positions since joining the firm in 2012. She currently serves as global co-CIO of Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies (BREDS) and CEO of Blackstone Mortgage Trust (BXMT). Zaneta Koplewicz, currently BREIT head of shareholder relations, has been named co-president and director of BREIT with current co-president, Blackstone veteran AJ Agarwal. BREIT interim CEO Rob Harper will resume his long-time role as BREIT head of asset management. Tim Johnson has been appointed CEO of BXMT, succeeding Keenan. As the global head of BREDS and chair of BXMT’s board, Johnson has played an active role in overseeing BXMT for over a decade and has deep expertise across Blackstone’s commercial real estate credit investment strategies. Johnson is a seasoned investor and has been with Blackstone since 2011. He will continue as the global head of BREDS and chair of BXMT’s board. Austin Peña, currently EVP, investments of BXMT, has been named president and director, and will continue leading the company’s investment, capital allocation and balance sheet strategy.
M&G Investments – Ruth Jackson has been appointed head of UK investment management in the firm’s £34bn real estate investment division. Jackson will be responsible for managing bespoke mandates and creating new investment solutions to reflect evolving client requirements as well as driving asset management performance across M&G’s UK commercial property portfolio. She will report to Peter Riley, head of UK commercial and capital solutions at M&G Real Estate. Jackson joins M&G from Hines, where as managing director, investment management, she was responsible for three major European investment funds managing more than €5bn. She has previously held senior positions at Invesco in a pan-European capacity and at JLL with a focus on City of London investment and development.
Cbus Property – Chris Kakoufas has been appointed CEO to succeed Adrian Pozzo, who has headed the business for almost two decades. Pozzo will retire, effective 30 March 2026. Kakoufas is currently Cbus Property’s chief operating officer and has started to transition into the new role. He has been with Cbus Property for more than 20 years. Under Pozzo, Cbus Property has grown its portfolio from A$500m to A$7.8bn and credited for being instrumental in the consistent delivery of strong long-term returns.
Gecina – Caroline Level-Cottard has been appointed executive director residential. She will also join Gecina’s executive committee. Level-Cottard joined Gecina in 2021 within the investments department, which she has headed since 2023. Before joining Gecina, she spent nearly ten years at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, where she held senior roles in investment, asset management, and the development of large-scale mixed-use projects combining offices, retail and residential. As executive director residential, Level-Cottard will oversee Gecina’s residential strategy, focusing on value creation and the transformation of the portfolio, at the crossroads of the energy transition and the evolution of urban lifestyles.
The Nuclear Company – Robert Harmon has been appointed chief legal officer. Harmon brings nearly 20 years of legal experience, including more than a decade at Amazon and Tesla. He spent more than six years at Amazon, where he led energy, real estate and construction initiatives. At Tesla, he served as deputy general counsel and director of real estate.
Link REIT – John Saunders, group CIO, will be appointed to the company’s board as executive director, effective from 1 January 2026. Saunders will work together with Ng Kok-Siong, executive director and group CFO, as an interim leadership structure to cover the responsibilities of the retiring group CEO, George Hongchoy. Saunders and Ng will report to Link’s chair Duncan Owen and the board. The search for Hongchoy’s replacement continues.
PNW Railcars – Keith Andersen has joined the firm as chief commercial officer. In his new role, Andersen will be responsible for driving revenue growth and strengthening operations to elevate the customer experience across all service areas. Anderson previously served as SVP of sales for Wells Fargo – First Union Rail. He spent the majority of his career in senior leadership roles, most notably as executive director of sales and leasing at Wells Fargo Rail and its predecessor organisations.
Peachtree Group – Billy Gilchrist has been appointed senior vice president, originations. In this role, Gilchrist will be responsible for originating commercial real estate and hotel investments across Peachtree’s lending platform. Before joining Peachtree, Gilchrist served as chief financial and investment officer of ARK, where he oversaw investment strategy, financial planning and operations. Previously, he held senior executive roles with Hotel Development & Management Group where he was instrumental in driving the company’s development pipeline, acquisitions and investor engagement. Earlier in his career, he held positions with Insight Credit Union and BB&T, managing credit portfolios and small business relationships.
