Blackstone has announced the appointment of Ken Caplan, presently serving as Global Co-Head of Real Estate, and Lionel Assant, European Head of Private Equity, to the newly established positions of Global Co-Chief Investment Officers (CIOs) at Blackstone. In their roles, they will strengthen the coordination and supervision of the firm's existing meticulous investment process. Nadeem Meghji, currently the Head of Real Estate Americas, will take over from Mr. Caplan as the new Global Co-Head of Real Estate, sharing the role with the current Global Co-Head, Kathleen McCarthy.
These advancements highlight the expanding scope of the firm's investment strategies and ongoing growth, marking a significant milestone with Assets Under Management (AUM) recently surpassing $1 trillion. The combined experience of the three executives, totaling over 60 years of Blackstone investing, comes at a crucial time for the firm as it prepares for a highly active deployment phase, armed with over $200 billion in dry powder.
Mr. Assant, a member of Blackstone since 2003, has been leading the firm's European Private Equity business in London since 2012. While maintaining his role in this capacity, he will also serve as Co-Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Blackstone. In this dual role, he will collaborate with business unit CIOs and Group Heads to offer broader firm-level investment supervision, covering various segments within the Private Equity (PE) complex such as Corporate PE, Infrastructure, Tactical Opportunities, Growth, and Life Sciences.
Mr. Caplan, a longstanding member of Blackstone since 1997, has a rich history with the firm. He steered the European Real Estate business from 2012 to 2015, assumed the role of Real Estate Chief Investment Officer (CIO) from 2015 to 2017, and, alongside Ms. McCarthy, has co-headed the global Real Estate business since 2018. In his new role as Co-CIO, Mr. Caplan will collaborate with business unit CIOs and Group Heads, extending his oversight to encompass Real Estate and Credit & Insurance (BXCI).
Source: Blackstone
