BKM Capital Partners promotes Turner to CIO and elevates four executives to partner

 

 

 

 

Newport Beach, CA BKM Capital Partners (BKM) has concluded a series of promotions within its executive leadership team. The firm has promoted Brett Turner to chief investment officer, a role previously held by BKM’s founder, Brian Malliet, who will continue to lead the company as chief executive officer. It has also named Turner, Mason Waite, Mike Valdes and Susan Rounds to the newly created role of partner.

Since its founding in 2013, BKM has evolved from a regional investor focused on the Western U.S. into a national investment and operating platform. That expansion accelerated in 2026, as BKM grew its assets under management and portfolio 75% each through the third quarter, to more than $5.6 billion and 26 million s/f across nine states.

“BKM is a far larger company than it was a year ago, let alone at its inception, and that growth was driven by a strong and dedicated team,” Malliet said. “Our investors and joint venture partners, who commit capital to us for years at a time, should know that BKM’s leadership runs deeper than its founder. Brett, Mason, Mike and Susan each oversee a critical part of this platform, and they run it the way owners would.”

As partner and chief investment officer, Turner will lead BKM’s investment platform, overseeing acquisitions, dispositions, underwriting, strategic partnerships, portfolio strategy and investment committee governance. He helped found BKM in 2013 and has driven more than $9 billion in transactions, including the acquisitions that brought the firm into Atlanta, Miami and Austin this year. Formerly the senior managing director of acquisitions & dispositions, Turner will continue to serve on BKM’s executive committee and as chair of its investment committee.

“Brian and I started BKM in 2013 with the conviction that small-bay industrial was an overlooked opportunity. Since then, we’ve helped establish it as an institutional asset class,” Turner said. “Our strategy remains focused on disciplined growth: expanding in markets with compelling fundamentals, applying rigorous underwriting and pursuing differentiated opportunities where we can create lasting value. That combination positions BKM to generate strong risk-adjusted returns and alpha for our investors.”

Turner is joined in the partner role by the executives who lead BKM’s asset management, finance and operations functions. Beyond their day-to-day roles, partners are expected to help set the firm’s strategic direction, collaborate across departments and represent BKM to investors, lenders and clients. The designation complements BKM’s long-term incentive plan, pairing economic alignment with formal leadership recognition.

Waite, who joined BKM in 2016, leads its asset management, portfolio management, leasing and construction teams as partner and managing director of asset & portfolio management. Also a member of BKM’s investment committee, Waite has executed more than 2,000 leases and overseen upward of $300 million in capital improvement projects during his career. In the first three quarters of 2026, Waite and his team signed 786 new leases and renewals while working to integrate and reposition the properties the firm acquired this year.

“Small-bay tenants are local and regional businesses that expect a landlord who answers the phone, and that shouldn’t change just because the portfolio got bigger,” Waite said. “Our teams have taken on more than 11 million s/f this year while continuing to lease and improve the buildings we already own. Holding that standard of service across 26 million s/f is the part of this job I take most seriously.”

Valdes, partner, chief financial officer and chief operating officer, joined BKM in 2018 and was promoted to his combined executive role in June after serving as senior managing director of finance and accounting. He oversees the firm’s finance, accounting, treasury, tax, reporting and operations functions. A certified public accountant, Valdes previously spent nearly eight years in PwC’s Financial Services advisory practice.

“My experience at PwC gave me a broad perspective on how real estate and investment management firms build strong businesses and earn investor confidence,” Valdes said. “At BKM, I’ve applied that perspective to strengthening our operating capabilities as the firm has expanded. Becoming a partner deepens my commitment to building an organization that supports our people, delivers for our investors and positions BKM for long-term success.”

Rounds, partner and managing director of operations & administration, joined BKM in 2021. She oversees several divisions at the company, including marketing and communications, IT and technology, HR and administration, and strategic initiatives. She also chairs the firm’s compensation committee and serves on its AI Task Force. Year-to-date through the third quarter of 2026, Rounds and her teams supported a 59% increase in headcount, to 212 employees, and the addition of 12 offices, bringing BKM’s total office locations to 25.

“As BKM grows, we’re focused on giving our people the support, resources and opportunities to build lasting careers here,” Rounds said. “Introducing the partner role is an important milestone that shows how leadership and meaningful contributions across the firm can create opportunities for advancement. For me, it also reinforces a responsibility to develop our next generation of leaders and preserve the culture that’s helped BKM succeed.”

The four partners share more than 36 years of combined tenure at BKM, having helped build the investment and operating capabilities behind the firm’s national expansion.

“Being a partner means taking responsibility for decisions that extend beyond your own department,” Malliet said. “I’m looking to this group to help set priorities for the whole firm and hold one another accountable for carrying them out. That collective responsibility will become even more important as BKM scales.”