Manulife US REIT taps John Casasante as CEO and CIO

Casasante’s appointment is still subject to regulatory approval.

Manulife US Real Estate Investment Trust (Manulife US REIT) has appointed John Casasante to serve as both Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Investment Officer (CIO).

Upon regulatory approval of Casasante’s appointment, he will lead the REIT in “disposing of assets according to the approach outlined in its Recapitalisation Plan and maximising proceeds to further reduce indebtedness and fund capital expenditure.”

As CEO, Casasante will also oversee the “entire REIT operations, business strategy and investment strategy, including portfolio optimisation efforts and capital management to ensure the objectives and conditions of the Recapitalisation Plan are met in addition to repositioning the REIT for growth.”

Before this appointment at Manulife US REIT, Casasante served as the Regional Director for Real Estate Asset Management Alternatives and Real Estate Assets at DWS, where he was responsible for the Western US real estate portfolio with a net asset value of US$15b across industrial and office. 

He also held roles in companies like Cushman & Wakefield and Lincoln Property Company.

Apart from Casasante, Manulife US REIT also welcomed Mushtaque Ali as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He will also assume the responsibilities of a Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

Ali will work closely with Casasante to develop and implement strategies to
enhance the business operations, such as optimising assets in the portfolio and financing strategy.

Ali will join the REIT on 12 April as CFO designate and officially be CFO on 30 June, whilst Casasante will be CEO and CIO designate starting 8 April 2024.