Tishman Speyer Hires Nuveen Vet Nikita Rao as Head of U.S. Residential

One of the largest real estate developers in the world has a new captain at the helm of its U.S. residential platform. 

Nikita Rao, a commercial real estate veteran with more than two decades of experience, has been tapped to oversee Tishman Speyer’s stateside residential portfolio and pipeline as managing director. 

Rao will be based at Tishman’s Washington, D.C., office, leading the firm’s strategy for acquiring new assets and operating existing ones, as well as development projects. She will work under Paul Galiano, a senior managing director and head of U.S. acquisitions for Tishman. 

“Nikita’s expertise and leadership will help accelerate this expansion and differentiate our residential platform,” Tishman’s CEO Rob Speyer said in a statement.

Previous to her new gig at Tishman, Rao served as managing director at Nuveen Real Estate, where she launched and led its U.S. Cities Multifamily Fund. Before that, Rao spent a decade working in multifamily asset management and development for Federal Capital Partners, where she served as senior vice president. 

A spokesperson for Tishman declined a request for further comment on Rao’s new role. A spokesperson for Nuveen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Nick Trombola can be reached at ntrombola@commercialobserver.com.