Managing Director, Cold Storage

Our firm has been exclusively retained by a premier, private equity real estate investment firm to recruit a Managing Director to architect and lead their entry into the Cold Storage sector.

This is a "founding" leadership role within a highly sophisticated investment platform. Our client is known for its operationally intensive approach to real estate (Healthcare, Lifestyle Retail, Multifamily, etc.), and they have identified Cold Storage as their next major institutional vertical.

With Fund III launching in early 2027 and significant discretionary dry powder remaining in their current vehicle/s, they are ready to move aggressively on platform investments, portfolio recaps, and single-asset acquisitions.

The Opportunity: Building the Vertical

Unlike traditional "deal-only" roles, this Managing Director will serve as the Sector Head, acting as the primary strategist for the firm’s cold storage play. You will have the capital and the autonomy to capitalize on current market dynamics—specifically a unique supply-side "glitch" and 20-year high vacancy rates—to build a dominant market position.

The mandate is broad and entrepreneurial:

• Strategy Development: Determine the most effective entry points, from acquisitions, GP-stakes and platform recaps, and more.
• Capital Deployment: Lead the charge in deploying significant equity across the current fund and the upcoming Fund III.
• Operational Leadership: Manage the complexity of the cold storage asset class, utilizing a "developer-operator" mindset to drive value where others see only a commodity.
• Future Growth: Lead the eventual creation of a bespoke, sector-specific investment vehicle within the next 24–36 months.

The Ideal Profile

We are looking for a "SAM-type" (Senior Asset Management/Operations) leader rather than a pure acquisitions specialist. You should be someone who understands the "guts" of a cold storage facility and the nuances of the operator-tenant relationship.

• Experience: 12+ years of senior-level experience in Industrial Real Estate, with a deep specialization in Cold Storage.
• Background: Strong preference for candidates coming from a Developer-Operator or a Cold Storage REIT who understand the technical and operational intensiveness of the space. Candidates from a PE fund will also be considered.
• Track Record: Proven ability to source and manage platform-level investments and build institutional controls.
• Entrepreneurial DNA: A desire to move from a "cog in the wheel" to the leader of a new business vertical.