Ex-Morgan Stanley executive joins US lobby group

David Pearce, a former executive director advising the bank on government and legal relations, has joined the US industry body, the Real Estate Roundtable, as counsel.

David Pearce, former executive director of Morgan Stanley’s government and legal relations team, has joined the US real estate industry body, the Real Estate Roundtable.

Pearce, who also worked for management consultancy DCI Group, has been appointed vice president and counsel, focusing on tax policies, according to a statement.

At Morgan Stanley, Pearce lobbied Congress on the bank’s tax strategy and led the firm’s task forces on legislative and regulatory tax issues.

Next June, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Dune Real Estate, Dan Neidich, will take over as chairman of the Real Estate Roundtable, a policy forum for chief executive officers in the commercial real estate industry.

Neidich, who founded Dune Capital Management with Steven Mnuchin and Chip Seelig in 2004 and created Dune's real estate arm in 2006, said in a statement released at the time of his appointment the Roundtable was critical for presenting “solid analysis and commentary to policymakers”.

Members of this year’s Roundtable board also include GE Capital Real Estate president and chief executive officer Ronald Pressman; Capri Capital Partners chief executive officer Quintin Primo III; Richard Saltzman, president of Los Angeles-based Colony Capital and Doug Shorenstein, chairman and chief executive officer of Shorenstein Properties.