Clarion hires TIAA-CREF executive

Clarion Partners has hired Khalif Edwards, formerly senior director of business development at TIAA-CREF Asset Management, as a director on its client capital management team. He will be responsible for capital raising, new product development and client services in the US.

“Khalif has built an impressive record establishing and developing institutional client relationships in the US and around the world,” said Hugh Macdonnell, managing director and global head of client capital management at the firm. “He brings both a global perspective on investing and a deep understanding of the real estate markets to our team.”

Prior to TIAA-CREF, Edwards was a director in Merrill Lynch’s private equity funds group, raising capital for real estate funds. The 15-year industry veteran also was a founding member of the private equity capital raising group at Eastdil Secured, where he worked for four years before joining Merrill.

Edwards, who will be based in Clarion’s Los Angeles office, initially will focus on the West Coast, which has been “a critical client base for Clarion,” according to Macdonnell. However, Edwards, who has built relationships with clients across the US and abroad, particularly in Australia, is expected to expand his focus nationally and internationally over time. Clarion, which has more than $23 billion in assets under management, currently invests in the US, Mexico and Brazil.

Edwards is the latest addition to Clarion’s 12-member client capital management team, which also includes two other US-focused executives: long-time managing director Joanne Vitale, who is focused primarily on the East Coast, and managing director Bill Krauch. Furthermore, the team is likely to continue to grow, said Macdonnell, who himself joined Clarion in October from Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing. “I would expect that you will see some strategic hires joining the team at Clarion over the next few years as our client base evolves,” he added.