Bentall Kennedy unveiled the appointments of Betsy Weingarten, Wes Ahrens and Steve Lekki.
"I am pleased to welcome Betsy, Wes and Steve to the Bentall Kennedy team. Each of them brings deep expertise in their respective asset classes and a history of working with extensive portfolios to deliver strong returns for asset owners," said Mike McKee, CEO of Bentall Kennedy U.S.
Weingarten joins the company as SVP, asset management (Multi-Family Sector Head). Weingarten has over 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, most recently with the Apartment Investment and Management Company (Aimco), where she oversaw the Asset Management and Development functions for the Eastern U.S. in recent years. Her career has also included significant postings with AvalonBay, Security Capital Atlantic (Archstone-Smith) and The Shelter Group. She holds a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts (Phi Beta Kappa) from Goucher College.
Ahrens joins the company as SVP, asset management (Industrial Sector Head). He brings with him over 30 years of institutional experience in commercial real estate investments. He most recently headed an investment management team responsible for a West Coast industrial portfolio owned by funds managed by Walton Street Capital. Prior to that position, he led a RREEF asset management team involved in creating, growing and disposing of a $2.8 billion single-client industrial portfolio. His career also included other senior positions at Crescent Equities and Prudential in transactions and development. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Tech University.
Lekki joins the company as SVP, portfolio management. He has 25 years of industry experience, with a broad background in international real estate and extensive transactional, portfolio management, business development and managerial skills. Most recently, Mr. Lekki served as a Director with RREEF, where he was responsible for developing the strategic direction and financial management of a $500 million portfolio of properties for CalPERS. Prior to his role there, Lekki held senior postings at AMB Property Corporation, where he was responsible for establishing and growing the International Transactions Group and managing Domestic and International Global Separate Accounts for GIC. He was also a member of Arthur Andersen's Real Estate Services Group. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California.
"Betsy, Wes and Steve are great fits for our clients and for the Bentall Kennedy platform. They have the right fiduciary mindset and the asset class-specific expertise to help us round out already strong asset and portfolio management teams," said Amy Price, chief operating officer of Bentall Kennedy U.S. Tags: