Metropolitan Real Estate Equity Management Announces Executive Promotions

Names a Co-Chief Investment Officer and elects three new partners

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Metropolitan Real Estate Equity Management LLC, a global investment manager of private real estate fund portfolios for institutions and high net worth individuals, has announced the promotion of four senior executives, reflecting the continued global growth of the firm’s business.

“I am very pleased to recognize these talented individuals for their significant contributions to our firm. Each of them embodies the values that make Metropolitan unique: deep expertise, dedication to clients and a passion for unlocking investment value - an approach that combines thorough analysis with street smarts.”

Margaret Gipe McKnight was named Co-Chief Investment Officer, and Beth-Anne Flynn, Jeremy Ford and John So were elected partners of the firm. Ms. Flynn is responsible for business development and client service; Messrs Ford and So are leaders of the firm’s operations in Europe and Asia, respectively.

Ms. McKnight will work closely with President and Co-Chief Investment Officer David M. Sherman on investment strategy and portfolio construction with a focus on the United States markets. Mr. Sherman will concentrate on international markets, as well as the firm’s global strategy.

Commenting on the appointments, David M. Sherman said: “I am very pleased to recognize these talented individuals for their significant contributions to our firm. Each of them embodies the values that make Metropolitan unique: deep expertise, dedication to clients and a passion for unlocking investment value - an approach that combines thorough analysis with street smarts.”

Ms. McKnight’s appointment reflects the growing role she has played within the firm’s investment team in recent years. In addition to sourcing and underwriting U.S. managers, she has taken a lead role on working with the investment committee to select target investment themes and strategies in the U.S. and to construct domestic investment portfolios.

Ms. Flynn has played a key role in the growth of the firm’s client relationships, both among institutions and high net worth individuals. Mr. Ford, who is based in London, has led a significant expansion of the firm’s network of high quality managers in Europe and has built important new client relationships in the region. Mr. So opened the firm’s office in Hong Kong last year, and he has added several new manager relationships and greatly increased the firm’s visibility in Asia.

“As our firm marks its 10^th anniversary, we see excellent opportunities for growth in real estate markets around the world, and we believe we are well positioned to help our clients realize significant value in the years to come.” Mr. Sherman added.

Notes to Editors:

Margaret Gipe McKnight is a Managing Director and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Metropolitan Real Estate Equity Management and is based in San Francisco. She joined the firm in 2006 from Cambridge Associates, where she led their real assets specialist consulting practice, advising clients on all aspects of building real assets portfolios.

Ms. McKnight spent eleven years with J.P. Morgan in its Real Estate Equity Investments unit and served on the investment team of the Argo Partnerships. Prior to that role, she was part of the investment banking group at J.P. Morgan. Ms. McKnight, 45, graduated with high honors from Swarthmore College and received an M.B.A. from New York University.

Beth-Anne C. Flynn is a Partner and Managing Director in the firm’s Boston office, where she is responsible for business development and client service. She has more than 25 years of consultative sales and relationship management experience in the investment industry.

Prior to joining the firm in 2007, she was a Vice President at State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) for ten years. Prior to joining SSGA Ms. Flynn worked at Deutsche Bank in fixed income institutional sales and at Bankers Trust in fixed income institutional sales and corporate finance.

Ms. Flynn, 53, received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Williams College and a Masters of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Chicago. She is a member of the Boston Security Analysts Society and CFA Institute.

Jeremy Ford is a Partner and Managing Director of Metropolitan Real Estate Europe LLP. Based in London, he is responsible for identifying, evaluating, and analyzing underlying fund managers and investment opportunities primarily in Europe.

Prior to joining Metropolitan Real Estate in 2005, Mr. Ford was a management consultant with Simon-Kucher & Partners where he specialized in pricing and marketing strategies across a broad range of industries in Europe, Latin America, and the United States.

Mr. Ford, 38, received a B.S. in Foreign Service and International Economics cum laude and an M.B.A. with high distinction from Georgetown University. He was a J. William Fulbright scholar at the Juan March Institute in Madrid, Spain.

John So is a Partner of Metropolitan Real Estate Equity Management and Managing Director of its wholly owned subsidiary and sub-advisor, Metropolitan Real Estate Asia Ltd., based in Hong Kong.

Prior to joining Metropolitan Real Estate in 2011, Mr. So was Director of Grosvenor Asia Pacific, where his roles included Managing Director of Investments; Head of China; Head of Fund Management Asia, where he served on the Global Fund Management Board; and CEO of the Grosvenor Land Property Fund, a joint venture with Hongkong Land.

Earlier, Mr. So led the regional real estate research group of Jardine Fleming Securities and from 1995-2000 consistently was ranked at or near the top of his sector in investor surveys by Institutional Investor, Asiamoney, Euromoney, and Greenwich Associates.

A Chartered Financial Analyst, Mr. So, 46, received his Bachelors degree in Urban Studies from Brown University and his Masters in Urban Design with distinction from the University of Hong Kong.

About Metropolitan Real Estate Equity Management

Founded in 2002, Metropolitan Real Estate Equity Management is a privately owned, registered investment advisor with approximately $2.5 billion in capital commitments in 22 partnerships from a wide range of clients, including more than 150 institutional investors and high net worth investors. Metropolitan constructs and manages vintage year U.S., non-U.S., and global portfolios, which focus on value-add and opportunistic private real estate funds. The firm’s investment team is comprised of eight senior members with more than 170 years of combined experience. Metropolitan has offices in New York, San Francisco, Boston, London, and Hong Kong.