Ares hires new real estate partner

The Los Angeles-based alternative asset manager has recruited former Barings Real Estate Advisors’ head of structured real estate, Jamie Henderson, to fulfill a number of roles including partner and co-head of real estate debt.

Ares Management, the Los Angeles-based alternative asset manager, has hired Jamie Henderson as partner in the firm’s real estate group.

Henderson will also join John Jardine as co-head of real estate debt, where they will both oversee originations, underwriting, portfolio management and business development. In addition, Henderson will also become president and chief investment officer of Ares Commercial Real Estate, the mortgage real estate investment trust managed by Ares.

“Jamie has been well known to us in the value-added real estate lending market for many years, and we are excited to be adding such a high-caliber and successful business leader to our team,” said Bill Benjamin, partner and head of the Ares Real Estate Group.

“He has experience in building a successful alternatives business and proven abilities in attracting significant assets under management. Jamie has a deep knowledge base of our lending markets and a successful investment track record, which make him well suited to enhance our future growth potential,” added Benjamin.

Henderson brings more than 15 years in commercial and residential real estate with an extensive background across portfolio management and capital raising. Prior to joining Ares, he held a variety of leadership roles at Barings Real Estate Advisors, the global advisory firm, and its predecessor companies Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors and Babson Capital Management. Most recently, he was head of structured real estate Investments at Barings, where he oversaw a leading high-yield real estate debt investment platform with teams in the US and Europe.

While at Barings, Henderson was chairman of the firm’s structured real estate investment committees in the US and Europe; a member of Barings’ direct equity and real estate securities investment committees; and had a leading role in Barings’ real estate private equity activities.

Prior to joining Barings and its affiliates Cornerstone and Babson Capital in 2005, he was a partner at a private equity real estate firm that owned and operated over 25,000 apartments, which was focused on the acquisition and repositioning of distressed multifamily assets.