KKR has appointed Lindsey Wright as managing director and head of investment services for the alternative investment giant’s real estate credit business in the U.S.
She is leading the development of a dedicated services platform to support asset management, loan origination, securities investing, risk management and client experience for KKR’s real estate franchise as it scales up to meet industry growth.
Based in Dallas, Texas, Wright plans to oversee a team build out with specialists overseeing special servicing, stabilized loan asset management, transitional loan asset management support, and investment oversight across KKR’s real estate credit portfolio.
KKR’s real estate credit business grew to roughly $25 billion in assets under management as of year-end 2021. This business line includes senior loans, mezzanine debt and commercial mortgage-backed securities. Overall, KKR’s global real estate business owns or lends on approximately $159 billion of real estate assets, which includes over $42 billion of the controlling classes of mortgage securities.
“We are delighted to welcome Lindsey to our team to expand our asset management capabilities at a time of strong growth and momentum for our business,” said Matt Salem, partner and head of Real Estate Credit at KKR. “Lindsey is a highly accomplished industry leader and having her expertise will enhance our ability to deliver consistently strong outcomes for our investors and deliver high quality service to our institutional client base.”
The real estate team at KKR total over 135 investment professionals across equity and credit investing located in markets across the U.S., Europe and Asia.
Wright, who brings more than three decades of real estate asset management and special servicing experience to the firm, served most recently as senior managing director of asset management at Greystone. Prior to joining Greystone in 2020, she spent nearly two decades at C-III Asset Management.
“KKR has created a differentiated real estate franchise, with credit and equity under one leadership team with deep connectivity to the firm’s global asset classes across private equity, credit and infrastructure,” added Wright. “This connectivity and the energized focus on building the new team, positions us to create a best-in-class platform that will support KKR’s large and rapidly growing securities and direct lending businesses.”
