JER exec joins AMB to oversee private fundraising efforts

James Green has left JER Partners and joined the private arm of listed real estate investment firm AMB Property Corporation.

Green was previously managing director and co-global head of JER’s capital markets and client relations unit. He joins AMB Capital Partners, the private equity real estate unit of the firm, as managing director, global client services.

Green will report to John Roberts, president of AMB’s private capital group. AMB currently has eight private funds, including three closed-ended vehicles, with almost $7 billion assets under management investing in the US, Mexico, Japan and Europe.

Prior to JER, Green was responsible for institutional marketing and client relations at Citi Property Investors, and was also a principal at AEW Capital Management, serving as REIT product and relationship manager.

The past few months have seen a raft of personnel changes in the industry, particularly in the fundraising side of the business.

Yesterday, JE Robert Companies revealed former Starwood Capital vice chairman of real estate Barden Gale would take over from founder Joseph Robert as chief executive officer, following the departure of president Michael Pralle earlier this year and Robert's treatment for brain tumours. Robert told PERE there was a “surprising” number of high quality candidates “in the market”.

In June, former Morgan Stanley and AMB executive Brent Elkins moved to Colony Capital to help develop and raise new funds at the Los Angeles-based shop. Elkins joined Morgan Stanley's real estate placement business in 2007 as executive director and prior to that spent five years at AMB Capital Partners as director of business development.

In May, the former Citi Property Investors’ fundraising chief John Bottomley was hired by Rockefeller Group Investment Management Corporation to led its fundraising operations. Bottomley was previously managing director and global product specialist for CPI, where he helped the firm launch three first-time regional opportunity funds, including CPI’s two largest funds, the €1.16 billion CPI Capital Partners Europe fund, which closed in November 2006, and the $1.29 billion CPI Capital Partners Asia Pacific fund.