Investments

BlackRock Real Assets Appoints Daigo Hirai as Head of Japan Real Estate

BlackRock Real Assets has appointed Daigo Hirai as Managing Director, Head of Japan Real Estate, effective August 2022.

In his new role, Mr. Hirai will oversee BlackRock’s real estate business in Japan. His primary responsibilities include managing the team’s day-to-day operations and leading deal sourcing activities in Japan. Based in Tokyo, Hirai reports to Hamish MacDonald, Head of Investments for APAC Real Estate, and Hiroyuki Arita, Head of Japan.

 

MacDonald said, “Japan is a key market for our investment strategy. With its relatively stable economy and supportive policy backdrop, Japan is a market with strong real estate fundamentals. We are pursuing several strategies where we believe we can drive rental growth as well as asset values. Mr. Hirai’s appointment is a great addition to our investment capabilities where local insights, integration and connections are essential to sourcing deals and accessing finance.”

 

Hirai joins BlackRock following a twelve-year tenure at the Blackstone Group, where he most recently held the role of Managing Director based in their Tokyo office. He has over 18 years’ experience in the real estate industry and possesses an extensive network in deal sourcing and project refinancing. Prior to Blackstone, he served at the real estate private equity group of Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs Realty.

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