GGP adds Berry as head of investor relations

A former Equity International executive has moved to General Growth Properties (GGP) to head up its investor relations department, according to a statement from the Chicago-based shopping centre REIT. 

GGP has named Kevin Berry as its vice president of investor relations. In his new role, he is responsible for managing and fostering relationships with the global investor community. 

“This is a terrific opportunity to join General Growth and I'm very much looking forward to being here for the long-term. GGP has a lot going for it,” Berry told PERE. He added that he started the job last week.

Prior to GGP, Berry served as vice president of capital markets for Chicago-based private equity real estate firm Equity International. While at Equity International, he managed investments in companies located in Egypt, Chile, Mexico and China. 

Before moving to Equity International, Berry was the director of investor relations and financial reporting for Equity Office Properties Trust. He also served as a senior auditor for Ernst & Young. 

GGP originally filed for bankruptcy in April 2009. After being recapitalised by a group led by Brookfield Asset Management's $5.5 billion Real Estate Turnaround Consortium, the REIT exited bankruptcy protection in November 2010. During a first quarter earnings call, Brookfield announced that it had acquired 113 million common shares of GGP, which increased its interest in the shopping mall specialist to 40 percent.