LaSalle Investment Management has appointed Kristy Heuberger and Brad Gries as co-heads of the Americas, effective March 31, 2021.
Heuberger currently serves as LaSalle’s head of US asset management and Gries currently serves as Americas co-CIO & head of US transactions.
Heuberger and Gries will succeed Jason Kern who has served as the firm’s Americas CEO since 2013.
”Mr.Kern has mutually agreed to step down from this role to pursue other interests,” said LaSalle in a statement.
As co-heads of the Americas, Brad and Kristy will jointly be responsible for overseeing all personnel, operational, portfolio management across the region, while maintaining existing leadership of the transactions and asset management activities.
They will report directly to LaSalle Global CEO Mark Gabbay and join the firm’s Global Management Committee.
“We thank Jason for his contributions in advancing the growth and development of our Americas business over the past eight years. We are fortunate to have a very strong operational platform, client and asset base from which to build, combined with a talented bench of colleagues to drive progress. I am confident that Kristy and Brad’s leadership experience at LaSalle, combined with their strong track record of investing and managing assets will help further accelerate performance and service to our clients,” said Mark Gabbay, Global CEO at LaSalle.
“I am incredibly proud of the collective successes we achieved in the Americas during my time at LaSalle. Succession planning is an important part of our fiduciary obligation. I recruited Kristy and Brad to the firm knowing they possessed the right mix of skills and leadership to shepherd our growth and performance in the region, while maintaining our award-winning culture as an employer of choice. I look forward to watching the progress of the firm in the years ahead,” said Jason Kern, incumbent Americas CEO at LaSalle.
Since joining LaSalle in 2015, Kristy has led the team managing $18 billion of LaSalle’s US private equity portfolio, spanning nearly 300 properties across arrange of sectors and risk profiles. Prior to joining LaSalle, Kristy spent 26 years at GE Capital Real Estate (and predecessor Heller Financial), holding several senior level roles. In her 20+ years in the real estate investment industry, she has worked on both the equity and debt side of the business, and has experience across a variety of disciplines, including asset management, originations, marketing, and operations.
Since joining LaSalle in 2017, Brad has led the team responsible for more than $15.5 billion of total acquisitions and dispositions, while working as a strategic partner with the Fund and Custom Account teams to shape client portfolios. Prior to joining LaSalle, Brad held leadership positions over the course of a 16-year career with the real estate investment arm of DWS, most recently serving as Managing Director, Real Estate Transactions. Before DWS, Brad held analyst and consultant positions at MB Real Estate and Arthur Andersen.
Kristy Heuberger, incoming Co-Head of the Americas at LaSalle said: “We are honored to team up for this role to co-lead the business and build on the impressive foundation of the Americas. Our teams have worked in great partnership over the years and we are excited to drive progress as we head into our next phase of growth. I would like to thank Jason for his leadership and guidance over the years and wish him the best in his next chapter.”
Brad Gries, incoming Co-Head of the Americas at LaSalle said: “Kristy and I are taking leadership of a platform with a very strong foundation and robust organic growth potential, which is a testament to the efforts and skill of our teams and a credit to Jason’s leadership. We are confident that our teams across the region are well-positioned to capitalize on the opportunities ahead.”
