CBRE Investment Management Names New Leaders for Direct Real Estate

CBRE Investment Management (CBRE IM) pulled in Laura Dunn to head the commercial operator division for its Americas direct real estate business line. Dunn began her new role March 17.

Dunn now oversees the division’s transactions and asset management teams, which cover U.S.-based retail, office, life sciences, self-storage and medical office sectors.

Dunn hails from a senior leadership role at San Francisco-based Spear Street Capital. As managing director there, Dunn focused on sourcing and executing property investments across major U.S. markets, and directed strategic asset-level initiatives for the owned portfolio. Her 20 years of experience in the industry began within the real estate finance group at UBS. 

“As a highly accomplished investor with deep transactional expertise and strong operating capabilities, Laura is exceptionally well suited for her new role,” Julie Ingersoll, chief investment officer of CBRE IM’s Americas direct real estate strategies, said in a statement.

Working alongside Dunn is the recently promoted Colin Rosenbaum. Effective Thursday, Rosenbaum holds a newly created role as head of Americas direct commercial transactions, where he will lead commercial investment activity across the U.S. for the firm’s core, enhanced return and separate account strategies.

“Our commercial platform is strategically critical to the Americas direct business, as this sector represents one of our largest portfolios with 165 assets in 48 markets,” Ingersoll said. “We are actively deploying significant capital across the commercial sectors, with a near-term focus on retail, self-storage and medical office.”

Rosenbaum joined the firm in 2022 as CBRE IM’s senior director of commercial acquisitions. His real estate investment career spans 18 years, and includes prior roles at Regent Properties and Parkway Properties, the latter of which merged with Cousins Properties in 2016.  

Ingersoll praised Rosenbaum as an “integral member of the commercial transactions team” and for his ability to lead complex transactions.  

Dunn and Rosenbaum are both based out of CBRE IM’s New York City office. 

Spear Street Capital did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Emily Davis can be reached at edavis@commercialobserver.com.