Each month, Nareit highlights recent executive career moves, board changes, and other notable individual achievements and developments within the REIT and publicly listed real estate market.
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In Memorium
Bill King, Former Partner at Goodwin Procter, Dies at 93
Bill King spent his entire 40-year career at Goodwin, where he was a pioneer of REITs, helping to establish the firm’s national prominence in real estate capital markets. In 1995, he received Nareit’s Industry Leadership Award. Goodwin said that King “left an incredible mark on the firm, our real estate practice, and all who had the privilege of working alongside him.”
Agree Realty Corp. (NYSE: ADC) said Kirk Klatt has joined the company as vice president of leasing. Previously, he served as senior vice president of real estate at NETSTREIT Corp. (NYSE: NTST), where he spent approximately 14 years and managed the transaction, leasing, diligence, development, and asset management functions.
American Tower Corp. (NYSE: AMT) said its board of directors has elected Gene Reilly as a director. Reilly most recently served as the vice chairman of Prologis, Inc., (NYSE: PLVD) and served as an advisor through April 2024. Reilly joined Prologis (then AMB Property Corp.) in 2003 and held several roles, including chief investment officer from 2019 to 2023 and chief executive of the Americas from 2011 to 2019.
Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: COLD) announced the company’s board of directors appointed Robert Chambers as CEO and a member of the board, effective Sept. 1. Chambers’ appointment follows George Chappelle’s decision to retire from the company and board following a four-decade career. Chambers currently serves as Americold’s president, overseeing the company’s global operations including, commercial strategy, sales, engineering, development, information technology, customer experience, and supply chain innovation.
Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (BREIT) appointed Robert Harper as interim CEO. Harper will continue to serve as BREIT’s co-president and a director. His appointment follows the loss of Wesley LePatner, who served as CEO until her tragic passing on July 28. Harper has been a director and co-president of the company since August 2023 and March 2025, respectively.
Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE: CCI) said its board of directors has appointed Christian Hillabrant as president and CEO, effective Sept. 15. Hillabrant is also expected to join the board at that time. Crown Castle described Hillabrant as an “industry veteran,” with more than three decades of experience driving profitable growth and operational excellence across leading digital infrastructure and telecommunications companies. He previously held senior management positions at T-Mobile, Ericsson AB, and Samsung, leading corporate functions spanning engineering, sales, and operations.
Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX) announced the appointment of Yanbing Li to the Equinix board of directors. Li currently serves as chief product officer at Datadog. "Yanbing is a proven technology and business leader with deep expertise in AI, cloud, enterprise software, and global operations," said Charles Meyers, executive chairman of Equinix.
NNN REIT, Inc. (NYSE: NNN) announced that Joshua Lewis has been appointed executive vice president, chief investment officer. Lewis is responsible for leading the company’s real estate investments, including structuring, negotiation, and deal execution. He has held roles of increasing responsibility within the acquisitions team since joining the company in 2008 and has served as senior vice president, head of acquisitions since August 2022.
OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE: OUT) said it has appointed Nick Brien as CEO. Brien, who has served as interim CEO since February, will continue as a member of the board. The company has also added two industry leaders to its board: Michael Barrett, CEO of Magnite, and Nicolle Pangis, vice president of Netflix Advertising, North America.
Leslie Hale, president and CEO of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE: RLJ), was elected as the new chair of Howard University’s board of trustees. Her term started on June 6. Hale, an alumna of the university, began serving on the board in 2013 and has served as vice chair since 2021.
Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (NYSE: RHP) said veteran REIT executive Eric Bolton has been appointed to its board of directors. Bolton led MAA (NYSE: MAA) for more than 20 years.
Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG) announced that Eli Simon, executive vice president, chief investment officer, and director has been promoted to COO. Simon joined the company in 2019, leading the company's investment strategy for both real estate and non-real estate investments, including new business sourcing, strategic corporate investments, and the execution of various real estate transactions.
The company also announced that Jonathan Murphy and Eric Sadi have been named co-presidents, North American real estate. Murphy and Sadi, who joined Simon in 2010 and 2006 respectively, have served in various capacities throughout their tenures. Since 2020, they have been co-presidents, mall platform, overseeing the revenue stream, occupancy, and merchandise mix for the company's malls.